Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets – Two Line Productions
Written in 1935, during the depression, this play was inspired by a real life strike of cab drivers in New York in 1934. On its first performance one critic said it caused, “joyous fervour” amongst the audience.
The drivers in the play are overworked and underpaid by their bosses. Their wives and kids are suffering and they are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. They are stuck in a metaphorical traffic jam unable to move forward with their lives.
The characters are trapped and looking for a way out. One of the characters says, “The cards is stacked for all of us.” The game they feel is fixed against them and unless they try and change the rules of the game they will be stuck there forever. A ruthless capitalist emphasises the conflict by saying, “If big business went sentime...