The Cradle Will Rock (1941 Mercury Theatre, Orson Welles)

Marc Blitzstein’s legendary, pro-labor musical allegory 'The Cradle Will Rock' achieved historic immortality through its famous 1937 premiere when director Orson Welles and John Houseman marched audiences to an empty theater to bypass censorship. This rare document records the celebrated 1941 Mercury Theatre presentation mounted at the historic Mansfield Theatre. Setting its satirical narrative inside the corrupt landscape of "Steeltown, USA," the plot follows Larry Foreman as he attempts to unionize the local workers against a tyrannical capitalist tycoon who has bribed the entire liberty committee. Directed by Welles, this reproduction printing preserves an essential monument of political art.