BroadwayRadio: All the Drama – “Street Scene,” 1929 Winner, Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Original Air Date: September 13, 2025
Host: Jan Simpson ("D")
Guest: Claire Beckman ("C")

Overview

This episode of BroadwayRadio’s “All the Drama” centers on Elmer Rice’s Street Scene, the 1929 Pulitzer Prize-winning play known for its ensemble depiction of working-class, immigrant life in Manhattan. Host Jan Simpson revisits Rice's legacy, the play’s history, and notably, welcomes Claire Beckman—who directed a recent site-specific production—to discuss the enduring relevance and unique challenges of Street Scene.

Key Discussion Points

1. Historical & Cultural Context (01:00–07:45)

• Backdrop of 1929: The episode sets the stage with historical context—Hoover’s presidency, restrictive immigration acts, the impending market crash—and introduces Street Scene as a drama exploring 24 hours in the lives of multi-ethnic tenement residents.
  • “Street Scene takes place entirely on the sidewalk in front of a building on a very, very hot summer day that will include a birth in the building, a death, lots of petty gossiping, a few political debates, some acts of kindness, and several different kinds of romantic encounters.” (01:33–01:48)
• The Pulitzer Jury’s Decision: The jury considered other strong contenders (Machinal, The Front Page, Holiday), but all ultimately agreed, “there had been no better play that season and that the award should go to Street Scene or that it should just not be given at all that year.” (02:15–02:29)

2. Elmer Rice: Life & Playwriting Genesis (07:45–17:36)

• Rice’s Upbringing & Background: Grew up among working-class immigrants—a major influence on Street Scene.
• Journey to Playwriting:
  • Bored by legal studies, Rice devoured playwrights like Shaw, Ibsen, and Strindberg.
  • First breakout: On Trial—success enabled him to become a full-time writer.
  • The Adding Machine established his reputation, but it was Street Scene that proved transformative.
• Creation of Street Scene:
  • Began as vignettes for amusement; one about a tenement’s sidewalk stuck with him and evolved into the full play.
  • Sought realism: “He and the set designer Joe Milzinger walked the city streets looking for the exact building they wanted to recreate on stage.” (16:01–16:12)
  • Authenticity extended to sound design—street noises were scripted to contribute to the play’s atmosphere.

3. Staging Challenges & Triumphs (17:36–21:04)

• Difficult Production Process:
  • Multiple rejections from producers; finally championed by William A. Brady.
  • Initial director, George Cukor, walked away, leading Rice to direct himself.
  • Large, mostly unknown cast, with key exceptions like Eula Bondi.
• Critical & Popular Impact:
  • Premiered January 10, 1929, running 601 performances, touring nationally, and adapted into a successful film.
  • “Rice had done such a good job directing the stage version that he continued directing over the next two decades.” (19:53–20:00)
  • Rice’s legacy includes over two dozen plays, co-founding the Playwrights Company, and briefly owning the Belasco Theater.

4. The Musical Adaptation (20:31–21:04)

• Kurt Weill’s Musical Version:
  • Initially resisted by Rice; eventually agreed, with Rice writing the libretto, Langston Hughes writing lyrics.
  • Despite a lukewarm Philadelphia tryout, the Broadway production in 1947 received critical acclaim, though public response was less enthusiastic.
  • “The migrant story remains relevant and the musical continues to be done. A 2001 production featured black and Asian families, and just last year alone there were productions… in Colorado, Miami and Paris.” (21:00–21:04)
• Factoid: The original Street Scene has never been revived on Broadway.

5. Interview with Claire Beckman – Brave New World Repertory’s Street Scene (21:04–41:11)

Origin & Process (21:07–27:12)

• How Beckman Discovered Street Scene:
  • Came to the play after a major success with a site-specific To Kill a Mockingbird.
  • Intrigued by the challenge of a large cast and by the play’s significance: “I was really struck by the fact that this was the first play on Broadway about the working class. And that's, I believe, why it won the Pulitzer. And it was full of immigrants.” (25:12–25:36)
• Finding the Perfect Venue:
  • Sought a suitable Brooklyn street; worked closely with residents, providing stipends and involving the community.

Artistic Choices & Adaptation (25:12–29:40)

• Updating the Setting:
  • Made the leading family African American to reflect the Great Migration and Harlem’s history.
  • “I've done research there. There were Jewish and … Italian immigrants up there in Harlem. And African Americans had come up from the south, and they were all living together in harmony. It wasn't really until later that it became a sort of exclusively black community.” (26:22–27:12)
• Cast Size & Structure:
  • Challenged by the “enormous cast,” but found parallels with TV soap operas in the play’s structure of quick, focused vignettes.
  • Use of actual buildings enabled the action to be both “horizontal and vertical … going four floors up.” (28:23–28:35)

Relevance & Audience Response (29:40–34:31)

• Timelessness of the Play:
  • “The dialogue is so fresh. You know, some of the language is still a little bit archaic, but in a way that … everybody loves.” (29:53–30:09)
  • Celebrates a vanished sense of community: “They really depend on one another in a very touching and beautiful way.” (31:52–32:00)
• Staging Innovations:
  • Used a 1920s-style tableau vivant and drew inspiration from Spike Lee’s Crooklyn for a sense of neighborhood life.

The Pulitzer Decision & Play’s Place in History (34:31–37:06)

• Why Street Scene Deserved the Prize:
  • “I think this is a play about immigrants and about working class people. … For its time, I think it absolutely deserved the prize.” (35:07–36:22)
• Economic Challenges Limit Re-stagings:
  • The sheer cast size makes revivals expensive: “It's always going to be as expensive as a big musical. Because the thrill of the show is the sheer numbers of people out on the street. That's the thrill of it.” (38:00–38:16)
  • Beckman notes Rice is less staged than Eugene O’Neill because his plays require “enormous casts” while “O’Neill has four or five people in his plays. That's a lot easier for a theater to produce.” (38:45–38:56)

Memorable Production Details (39:55–40:28)

• Original Title: “Did you know … the original name of Street Scene was the Sidewalks of New York?” (39:55–40:06)
  The title likely drew from the famous 1894 song.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Community and Relevance:
  • “Community in a way that we just don't even have anymore. And long before television and the Internet and all the other things that have separated us, not to mention pandemics, the people were forced to be out together in community and dependent on one another for everything.”
    • Claire Beckman, 31:34–31:48
• On the Play’s Structure:
  • “It's a series of little scenes that are just pasted together. … When you have an enormous cast and everybody only has to learn a couple of scenes, you're not asking as much of the actors.”
    • Claire Beckman, 27:22–28:02
• On Its Lasting Importance:
  • “I think that the genre of this sort of intrigue and gossip and these vignettes of… different kinds of people all talking about the intrigue or whatever, I think that was replaced first with the radio soap opera, then the television soap opera, and then finally films. But for its time, I think it absolutely deserved the prize.”
    • Claire Beckman, 36:00–36:22

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Historical Context & Play Background: 01:00–07:45
• Elmer Rice’s Biography & Career: 07:45–17:36
• Staging and Success of Street Scene: 17:36–21:04
• Musical Adaptation & Legacy: 20:31–21:04
• Interview – Production Discovery & Planning: 21:04–25:12
• Venue and Artistic Innovations: 25:12–27:12
• Large Cast, Vertical Staging, Soap Opera Structure: 27:12–29:40
• Dialogue, Relevance, Audience Reception: 29:40–34:31
• Pulitzer Decision, Play’s Place in History: 34:31–37:06
• Economic Challenges to Staging: 37:06–39:28
• Fun Fact – Original Title: 39:55–40:28

Conclusion

This episode offered a rich exploration of Street Scene’s origins, significance, and ongoing challenges and joys of staging such a large-cast, community-focused play. Through Jan Simpson’s thorough history and Claire Beckman’s personal anecdotes and insights, listeners gain an appreciation for Elmer Rice’s work, the hurdles facing contemporary stagings, and the play’s ongoing relevance—a testament to the complexities and interconnectedness of American urban life.