Waiting for Lefty

Clifford Odets' 1935 masterpiece about taxi drivers in Depression-era New York City gathering to decide whether to strike gets a visceral new life in this directing debut from acclaimed actor Steven Pasquale. The production transforms the theater into a high-stakes union hall, using original music and movement to make this classic social protest play speak urgently to today's labor struggles and the cost of speaking truth to power.

Odets (1906–1963) was a founding member of the Group Theater who became the most celebrated American playwright of the 1930s with this play alone; his work across three decades shaped generations of American dramatists. Director Pasquale has starred in everything from Lincoln Center productions to Netflix series and won a Lucille Lortel Award for his Off-Broadway work; this marks his first time behind the curtain. The production features original music and arrangements by Yeller Tooth (Sahar Milani and Cameron Scoggins) and choreography by Susan Misner.

The run includes special events: Classic Perspectives talkbacks on labor history, folk music and protest, and Odets' legacy; a $40 Under 40 night on October 20; an ASL-interpreted performance on November 12; a Teen Takeover matinee on November 14 with $10 student tickets; free childcare during the November 15 matinee; and a Southpaw Soirée affinity night for left-handed theater lovers on November 19. Previews run October 15–November 1, with the production underwritten in honor of Risa Lieberwitz, a labor law professor at Cornell.