APPLETON, WIS. – The words of some of America’s most uncommon, and unsung, heroes come to life as Lawrence University stages Working, a musical based on real life interviews of working Americans. This student-produced musical takes place at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13 and at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, April 14 in Cloak Theatre, located in the Music-Drama Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students. Tickets are available beginning April 3 at the Lawrence University Box Office or by phone at 920-832-6749. If available, tickets will be on sale beginning one hour before each performance at the box office.
Adapted from the book of the same title by Studs Terkel, Working explores the American workday from the Monday morning blues to the second shift blahs using the original words of some uncommon men and women. Twenty-six workers, including a parking lot attendant, corporate executive, newsboy, schoolteacher, housewife, fireman, waitress, and more sing about their jobs and their hopes and dreams.
“Working is a piece that weaves together the plights of nearly 30 different and completely unrelated American workers, but does so to show how they all work together to keep America’s proverbial heartbeat pulsing. Lawrence’s production accomplishes this by having a cast of nine split the many roles amongst them, with each person playing at least three of the characters, sometimes more. Thus, the audience is more cognizant of the fact that there’s a unifying life force, of sorts, passing through all of these blue-collar characters,” explains Matthew Murphy ’07, stage and musical director for the show.
Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, this show features music by Schwartz, James Taylor, Micki Grant, Craig Carnelia, and Mary Rodgers, and lyrics by Schwartz, Grant, Carnelia, Taylor, and Susan Birkenhead.
The cast includes Jessie Arlen ’10, Michael Axtell ’09, Zachary Becker ’10, Nicholas Benson ’11, Lacey Jo Benter ’10, George Evan Bravos ’10, Megan Flod ’07, Kaitlin Hawkinson ’09, and Jesse Weinberg ’07.
