Cradle Will Rock

Drama

Hank Azaria	Marc Blitzstein
Rubén Blades	Diego Rivera
Joan Cusack	Hazel Huffman
John Cusack	Nelson Rockefeller
Cary Elwes	John Houseman
Philip Baker Hall	Gray Mathers
Cherry Jones	Hallie Flanagan
Angus MacFadyen	Orson Welles
Bill Murray	Tommy Crickshaw
Vanessa Redgrave	Countess Constance LaGrange
Susan Sarandon	Margherita Sarfatti
Jamey Sheridan	John Adair
John Turturro	Aldo Silvano
Emily Watson	Olive Stanton
Bob Balaban	Harry Hopkins

Director	Tim Robbins
Producer	Jon Kilik; Tim Robbins
Writer	Tim Robbins

Life and artistic expression collide in the early 1930s as Marc Blitzstein (Hank Azaria) is writing songs for the musical 'The Cradle Will Rock'. In these times many people are anxious for work and struggling to survive, while others live in opulence in the heart of Depression. The musical is being directed by Orson Welles (Angus Macfadyen) and produced by John Houseman (Cary Elwes) both of whom attempt to keep the production going even when funding is cut because of concerns from the House Committee on Un-America Activities. While they move the production to another theater, the performers are forbidden by their union to perform. When Blitzstein takes the stage by himself to perform, many of the actors end up participating from the audience. While this is going on a mural by Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades), and commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack), is destroyed because he won't remove the face of Lenin. All of this serves as a commentary on the state of affairs in 1930s America.