Working (musical)
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| Working | |
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| Music | Stephen Schwartz Craig Carnelia Micki Grant James Taylor Mary Rodgers |
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| Lyrics | Stephen Schwartz Craig Carnelia Micki Grant James Taylor Susan Birkenhead |
| Book | Stephen Schwartz Nina Faso |
| Based upon | Working by Studs Terkel |
| Productions | 1978 Broadway |
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, and Susan Birkenhead.
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 forward, 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 was originally 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 Terkel. The cast included Barry Bostwick, Barbara Barrie, Didi Conn, 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] Songs
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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 market 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". Alternate versions also include the song "Traffic Jam." 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
- The Official Stephen Schwartz fan site: All about Working
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Internet Movie Database listing
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