Clifford Odets is enjoying a bit of a renaissance of his work as the most recognizable of the Depression-era playwrights. While there are certainly similarities between the Great Depression and the so-called Great Recession that we are presently living through, there are also significant differences. For one thing, the level of support for strong intervention by the government had far stronger support then it does now. And ironically, there’s little doubt that the worst of the present economic crisis has been mitigated by the social safety net put in place during the last crisis of this magnitude.

Theatre people frequently criticize new plays for being too much like television or film. Short scenes, frequent blackouts, and small “r” realism are all signs of a writer who has let her television writing bleed over into her stage writing.

Fortunately, Jess Weaver, the author of The Artist Needs a Wife, now receiving its world premiere at The Side Project , does not have this problem. Those who have followed Weaver’s development have become familiar with his off-beat writing style, odd sense of humor and general disregard for traditional realism.

An excerpt from John McWhorter’s Man on the Street recently appeared on the TCG website arguing for “translations” of Shakespeare’s plays to make them more easily accessible by removing references that have grown obscure in the last 400 years while preserving the poetry. Leaving aside the merits of his argument, his basic premise is that accessibility is necessary for audience enjoyment.

It’s a long-standing axiom that children are the most demanding audience. This may or may not be true, but it’s certain that children are less tolerant of polite boredom. If the show doesn’t grab them, they won’t hold still.

Judged by that measure, City Lit’s production of Wind in the Willows appears to be a success, at least based on the attention given to it by the two younger viewers in the audience the night I attended.