#1
Posted: 3/24/11 at 2:15pm
Working is playing what might turn out to be a pre-Broadway run in Chicago. The show originated in 1978, adapted by Stephen Schwartz from a book by Chicago author Studs Terkel that featured first-person stories from a variety of Americans responding to the simple question "What kind of work do you do?"
The show has been extensively updated with new interviews conducted in 2008 and two new songs from Lin Manuel Miranda. The new material really works to modernize the piece, complimenting the pre-existing stories about steel workers and maids with tech support phone center employees and hedge fund managers.
Miranda's new songs are both quite strong, the first apparently drawn from his own first job working in a fast-food restaurant and the second serving as the piece's most poignant moment as two recent immigrants sing of doing the work no one else cares to do: Caring for infants and the elderly.
The production is quite strong, featuring an excellent cast of Chicago actors. Despite the impressive resumes of some of the older cast members (all of whom were quite good) the standouts are the two youngest and least-known performers, Gabriel Ruiz and Emjoy Gavino. Gavino score with her monologue about being a flight attendant and James Taylor's ballad about mindless factory jobs ("Millwork") while Ruiz gives a virtuoso performance, flipping through several strong characters, including an an Indian phone center operator who longs to connect with his callers and an opinionated newspaper employee who struggles to find the perfect "kiss-off" line when getting fired.
The show has been cut down to just six performers and tries to strip all glamor and magic from the theater: The cast is visible before the show, getting ready at backstage dressing tables, and the opening of the show features audible cues from the stage manager, driving home the idea that these folks are working, too. Some costume changes are done on stage and at the end, actors, musicians, stage crew and dressers ALL take a bow.
The show was quite good, but I wonder if it could succeed on Broadway. The original production was a Broadway flop despite a stellar cast but went on to a vigorous life in colleges and community theater. I am sure this version will be even more popular, especially as we grapple with layoffs, unemployment and union issues.
The show runs through June, but has hinted it might stay longer- except the performance I saw was more than half-empty. The website features some clips from the performance.
http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/shows_dyn.php?cmd=display_current&display_showtag=working11
The show has been extensively updated with new interviews conducted in 2008 and two new songs from Lin Manuel Miranda. The new material really works to modernize the piece, complimenting the pre-existing stories about steel workers and maids with tech support phone center employees and hedge fund managers.
Miranda's new songs are both quite strong, the first apparently drawn from his own first job working in a fast-food restaurant and the second serving as the piece's most poignant moment as two recent immigrants sing of doing the work no one else cares to do: Caring for infants and the elderly.
The production is quite strong, featuring an excellent cast of Chicago actors. Despite the impressive resumes of some of the older cast members (all of whom were quite good) the standouts are the two youngest and least-known performers, Gabriel Ruiz and Emjoy Gavino. Gavino score with her monologue about being a flight attendant and James Taylor's ballad about mindless factory jobs ("Millwork") while Ruiz gives a virtuoso performance, flipping through several strong characters, including an an Indian phone center operator who longs to connect with his callers and an opinionated newspaper employee who struggles to find the perfect "kiss-off" line when getting fired.
The show has been cut down to just six performers and tries to strip all glamor and magic from the theater: The cast is visible before the show, getting ready at backstage dressing tables, and the opening of the show features audible cues from the stage manager, driving home the idea that these folks are working, too. Some costume changes are done on stage and at the end, actors, musicians, stage crew and dressers ALL take a bow.
The show was quite good, but I wonder if it could succeed on Broadway. The original production was a Broadway flop despite a stellar cast but went on to a vigorous life in colleges and community theater. I am sure this version will be even more popular, especially as we grapple with layoffs, unemployment and union issues.
The show runs through June, but has hinted it might stay longer- except the performance I saw was more than half-empty. The website features some clips from the performance.
http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/shows_dyn.php?cmd=display_current&display_showtag=working11
Updated On: 3/24/11 at 02:15 PM
