"Awake And Sing" In a cramped Bronx tenement during the Great Depression, a working-class Jewish family copes with the financial hardship even as they dream of a brighter future. Bessie Berger's fierce determination keeps her family afloat, whatever the cost. Gritty, passionate, funny and heartbreaking, Odets' 1935 masterpiece (and the 2006 Tony Award-Winner for Best Revival of a Play) beautifully captures both the hopes and the struggles of an unforgettable American family.