Awake and Singing: 7 Classic Plays from the American Jewish Repertoire

by Ellen Schiff (Editor)

The first volume in a two-volume anthology presents the history and evolution of Jewish plays, focusing on plays written by Jews about Jews in America and featuring seven classics produced between 1920 and 1960, from Clifford Odets to Neil Simon. Original.

Genres: Plays

Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

Reviews

[Rachel Y]

I just read Awake and Sing from this anthology - it was surprisingly good. The whole setup reminds me of A Raisin in the Sun - could be the same house. Still something was missing from this that Raisin had, and I'm not sure what it was quite yet. Even though they both deal in family & class, I think they have very different messages about who has dreams and what happens to them. Hennie's supposed to represent a strong heroine, but I'm not sure that's what she was in the end...

[Pat Settegast]

This review pertains to Elmer Rice's Counsellor-at-Law, which is found in this anthology. Largely forgotten, this play feels constrained by theatrical conventions--namely set changes and stock characters--and benefited conciderably from director William Wyler's film adaptation. It nevertheless merits reading by any student interested in the dramatic differences between theatre and film.

[Brittany Jackson]

Read "Awake and Singing" - good play!