Frank Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s iconic The Grapes of Wrath is currently on stage at A Noise Within (ANW). Galati’s play brilliantly distills the quintessential American novel to its core while preserving its essence as perhaps the greatest American travel tale ever written. Directed by Michael Michetti, this timely work, filled with heartbreak and strength, features Steinbeck’s words almost exclusively as well as deeply evocative music that includes period hymns, Dust Bowl songs and original music by Michael Smith written for the play’s original 1988 Steppenwolf Theatre Company production.
The cast features Deborah Strang (Ma Joad), Jill Hill (Granma Joad), Steve Coombs (Tom Joad), Lili Fuller (Rose of Sharon), Andrew Hellenthal (Al Joad), Josh Clark (Uncle John Joad), Jesse Peri (Connie Rivers), Lindsey Ginter (Pa Joad), Gary Ballard (Grampa Joad), Matt Gottlieb (Jim Casy), Dorrie Braun (Mrs. Wainwright) and Mark Jacobson (Noah Joad).
The Grapes of Wrath – which figured prominently in Steinbeck winning the Nobel Prize in 1962 and for which he won a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award – chronicles the Joad family, who, driven out of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl by drought and hardship during the height of the Great Depression, journeys to California in search of jobs and a better future.
Michetti says, “It is a story about people who endure incredible hardship yet, against all odds, their optimism keeps them moving forward and caring about each other and the community around them. This adaptation beautifully captures the essence of this epic novel and its life-affirming message that even in times of great adversity, people can transcend difficulties by looking beyond themselves and helping others.”
Michetti also notes, “Still profoundly relevant some 80 years after Steinbeck wrote it, Grapes of Wrath addresses many of the issues our country sadly continues to face today: people losing their homes, high unemployment, and man-made environmental problems.”
A Noise Within's production of The Grapes of Wrath is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
Media sponsors for ANW’s 2012-13 Season are Pasadena Star-News and KPCC 89.3 FM.
The Grapes of Wrath performs through May 11, 2013. Single tickets currently range from $40 - $52. Call 626-356-3100 or visit www.anoisewithin.org for updated pricing and seating availability.
A Noise Within is located on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 3352 East Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena.
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