Working (musical)
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- This article deals with the 1978 musical. For the 1997-1999 NBC situation comedy starring Fred Savage, see Working.
Working is a musical with a book by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, music by Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, and James Taylor, and lyrics by Schwartz, Carnelia, Grant, Taylor, Susan Birkenhead, Graciela Daniele, and Matt Landers.
Based on the book of the same name by Studs Terkel, it chronicles a day in the life of twenty-six average American workers. Characters include an ironworker, a waitress, a stone mason, a trucker, a housewife, a UPS delivery man, a teacher, and a retiree. All of their monologues, in which they describe their daily routines and discuss their hopes and aspirations, are true stories derived from interviews with actual workers. While there is neither a unified plot nor a narrative thread carrying the action foreword, each scene makes a smooth transition into the next, with each character's speech related in content to what precedes and follows it.
The show originally was staged at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. After twelve previews, the Broadway production, directed by Schwartz and choreographed by Onna White, opened on May 14, 1978 at the 46th Street Theatre, where it ran for 24 performances. The cast, most of whom played multiple roles, included Patti LuPone, Bob Gunton, Joe Mantegna, Lynne Thigpen, Steven Boockvor, Rex Everhart, Bobo Lewis, Lenora Nemetz, Brad Sullivan, and Matt Landers.
In 1982, Schwartz and Nina Faso adapted the show for a ninety-minute telecast on the PBS series American Playhouse, directed by himself and Kirk Browning and introduced by Turkel. The cast included Barry Bostwick, Barbara Barrie, Scatman Crothers, Barbara Hershey, Beth Howland, Charles Haid, Eileen Brennan, Rita Moreno, Edie McClurg, Charles Durning, Patti LaBelle, Jennifer Warnes, James Taylor, and Lynne Thigpen. The program was nominated for three technical Emmy Awards and won for Outstanding Lighting Direction.
A revised and updated version was staged by the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven and L.A. Theatre Works in 1999. It is a popular choice with regional theatres and summer stock companies.
[edit] Song list
Act I
- All the Livelong Day (I Hear America Singing)
- Lovin' Al
- The Mason
- Neat To Be a Newsboy
- Nobody Tells Me How
- Un Mejor Dia Vendra
- Just a Housewife
- Millwork
- Joe
- If I Could've Been
Act II
- It's an Art
- Brother Tucker
- Fathers and Sons
- Cleanin' Women
- Something to Point To
Due to some retooling after it was first released, variations are available. Some include changing "Neat to be a Newsboy" with a song about being a grocery marker checker entitled "I'm Just Movin'". "I'm Just Movin'" would occur after "Nobody Tells Me How". Some shows allow both "I'm Just Movin'" and "Neat to be a Newsboy". Sometimes, "The Mason" is in the second act, after a small introduction. It would continue to follow. Sometimes the order varies. "Brother Trucker" before "It's an Art". "Joe" in act two after "It's an Art". "Fathers and Sons" after "Cleanin' Women". Due to no specified sequence of order necessary for the plot to be told, these variations are made possible. The scenes might also be varied for easy transitions to other scenes and songs.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Boockvor and Everhart, nominees)
- Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Landers and Sullivan, nominees)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Lewis, winner; Nemetz, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (winner)
[edit] External links
| Stephen Schwartz |
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| Music and Lyrics: Godspell • Pippin • The Magic Show • The Baker's Wife • Working • Personals • The Trip • Children of Eden • Wicked • Thiruvasagam Lyrics: Mass • Rags Recordings: Reluctant Pilgrim • Uncharted Territory Films: Pocahontas (lyrics) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (lyrics) • The Prince of Egypt • Enchanted (lyrics) Television: Geppetto |
