I was introduced to the Axis Theater Company a few seasons back with their world premiere musical about the immigrant experience, Evening 1910, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Revisiting old theater pieces and time periods is of particular interest to me so when I heard they scheduled Dead End. I jumped at the chance to grab a seat. Dead End was a hit play for Sydney Kingsley in 1935 at the height of the Great Depression running for two years on Broadway. The play was turned into a film with much of the Broadway cast in 1937 starring Humphrey Bogart. The popularity of these character types lasted in movies until 1958 under various names including the Dead End kids, Little Tough Guys and the Bowery Boys.
The downstairs basement theater that Axis uses is a perfect location for diving into the dark past of directionless youth and their struggles with relentless poverty. The play alternates between these impoverished street urchins, the more well-to-do society they bump into and some of their alumni, from those struggling to make ends meet or others who have become full-fledged criminals. While there are some funny moments and lines, there is also a bleakness to their lives and situations, nicely shaded by the black box production design. While we may be reflecting on the Great Depression, people unable to pull themselves out of the poverty cycle is unfortunately still a relevant theme.
I enjoyed the production but it felt a little disjointed. Many of the cast remained onstage, distracting focus in the background, so the effect of poor versus rich was somewhat blurred. I never completely got past the women playing the tough boys, the tone was less tough than jokey. My favorite scene was between the infamous gangster Baby Face Martin and his ex-girlfriend, Francey, played by Brian Barnhart and Katie Rose Summerfield. In this moment, I felt immersed in the period, connected to their struggles and relationship history.
Overall, I would recommend Dead End and this production as a welcome and rare opportunity to glimpse the past. The play and its themes seem more relevant to the present than I was expecting.