Like most countries around the world, America has its fair share of times of poverty. With a large percentage struggling to survive within a failing economy trying to stay true to their origins and their own identity, while another percentage of the population lives off that same economy with no struggle at all. Speaking as a member of a family who has come very close to poverty, I can honestly say I understand what it's like to go through that kind of struggle. American families have struggled the most, in history, during the years of the Great Depression. Not since then have we as a nation struggled through that much poverty to that degree. Though we have come very close from time to time. In the realm of story telling one of the most common time period to tell dramatic survival stories (apart from contemporary zombie apocalyptic survival stories) has been the great depression. One of literature's champions of this time, was author John Steinbeck. He, like most authors of his time, lived through the Depression and injected his experiences into his stories. Whether it be Tortilla Flatts, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, and of course the Grapes of Wrath. Most of these stories have been adapted on stage after their original publication to help bring Steinbeck's experiences for audiences of the struggling lower class to relate to. Salem State University has been presenting the dramatization of Steinbeck's novel, Grapes of Wrath.
-the Story-
The story of the dramatized version to Steinbeck's novel follows very closely to the original source material. Grapes of Wrath tells the story of Tom Joad, his old preacher friend Jim Casey, and his family as they make a cross-country trek from Oklahoma, through Route 66, to California in the hope of finding work. Along the way, tragedy is met with the Joad family, loosing more and more relatives either because they couldn't survive or because they parted ways at a particular checkpoint. Once the family reaches California, they begin to realize that the work they're committing to is built up on broken promises. The Joad family moves from Makeshift camp to Makeshift camp due to a variety of different reasons, whether because of corrupt law enforcement officers or because of a lack of resources. During this time, Casey begins forming a labor union and begins to lead a strike against the deputies and the corporate businesses. Casey is killed in a fight during the strike and Tom kills Casey's attacker in retaliation. He leaves the family behind while on the run from the police, as they continue their trek to land where there is more work.
-Honorable Mentions-
This was a very stellar cast, all around. Each member of the central cast as well as the ensemble had moments of sadness and humor. It kept a very good balance for the tone of the production. Many of the ensemble members portrayed more than one character as the story progressed, each one with a very different personality. But the four performances that stood out the most, for me, were the most powerful performances. First is Adrian Peguero as Jim Casey. Casey is a former preacher who has lost his faith. His faith in authority is diminished but his faith in people remains in tact. He helps form the labor union and helps lead the strike due to his rebellious attitude towards the corrupted status quo. Peguero gives the character a lot of wisdom and like-ability. Second, Zack Georgian as Tom Joad. In the book as well as this production, Tom might be the central character, however, to me he seems more like the observer. The story of these characters are told through his eyes. The characters and events of the story evolve around him. Georgian did a very good job as Tom. Because Tom was arrested and put in prison for homicide, we know he could snap back into another episode throughout the story, andGeorgian gets that down very well. At times he's funny and love able, other times he can be violent and intimidating. And finally, Ma and Pa Joad, played by Danielle Woods and James Sheridan. These two worked off of each other perfectly. Whenever you saw them on stage together, you believed that this was a loving married couple who were the heads of this vast and dysfunctional family who weren't giving up but continuing to work to survive. These two ARE Ma and Pa Joad, as far as I'm concerned. They ARE the ones in charge.
-What I did like-
The direction by Professor Peter Sampieri was spot on. One of my favorite additions to this production was adding live folk musicians performing ballads in between scenes. Not only that, but the musicians also used very primitive sound effects. For example, during a thunder storm, a musician would numerously hit a thunder sheet along with the lighting effects. Or when the family was starting off on their journey, their truck wouldn't start at first. So instead of getting pre recorded sound bites, they instead had the musicians use their percussion instruments to simulate the sounds of the engine. The set design turned the entire theatre into the inside of a barn, making it seem like the audience was watching this show be performed within a spacious barn, using whatever materials they have at their disposal to help tell the story.
-Overall Recommendations-
This show made me think a lot about what has been going on in the world lately. Even in our own country. People struggling through poverty, unable to trust the people who have the power to keep them employed, and trying to find out what their place in the world is and who they are as people. Not only is Steinbeck's story emotionally powerful to begin with, but the decision to do a production of Steinbeck's story now, of all times, makes seeing this show all the more significant and meaningful. Salem State University's production of Grapes of Wrath goes from Dec 3 - 13. You won't want to miss this kind of show. If you have already seen this show, let me know what you thought of it in the comment box below.
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