Striking for social change: “Waiting for Lefty” connects protest movements through time

Andrew ShiWORKERS OF THE WORLD: The cast of “Waiting for Lefty” performing a musical number in between scenes. The play was composed of a series of vignettes surrounding a taxi drivers’ strike, and was interspersed with musical numbers by the Bumpy Roads & The Stage Lefties, a folk band that was formed especially for the production. Last weekend, the Department of Theater and Dance staged a production of Clifford Odets’ 1935 play “Waiting for Lefty” in Pickard Theater. The production was directed by Professor of Theater Davis Robinson and featured musical numbers from the Bumpy Roads & The Stage Lefties, a band formed exclusively for the show. Originally a one-act play, “Waiting for Lefty” is composed of a series of related vignettes depicting the events surrounding a taxi drivers’ strike. Robinson highlighted the play’s enduring political relevance as the reason behind his decision to stage a production.

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