This is a beautifully rendered stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel, created by Frank Galati and Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company and originally presented by PBS's Great Performances, directed for television by Kirk Browning. Gary Sinise and Lois Smith are terrific as Tom and Ma Joad and the entire cast makes incredible use of an almost-bare stage to create the world of the 1930s dust bowl. Notably, this production also restores the original (stunningly moving) ending of Steinbeck's novel, changed in the 1940 John Ford film for censorship reasons. Truly an ensemble piece, one only wishes it was available on home video -- ask Broadway Theatre Archive and/or Kultur DVD to make this one available, as they have so many other PBS Great Performances shows.
Review of The Grapes of Wrath
