Players at work: At Cottage Theatre, a musical about jobs.Byline: Bob Keefer The Register-Guard Studs Terkel's 1977 compendium "Working: What People Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do" was big on gritty charm but light on plot. In it, Terkel, an oral historian, documented the working lives of more than 130 working stiffs Working Stiffs can refer to:
The fact that "Working" had little story arc didn't stop Stephen Schwartz from turning the book into a musical, in which Terkel's real-life characters sing about their work. "That first little jump of faith - that all those great interviews can become a musical - is a big one," admits Tony Rust, who is directing a production of the musical "Working" that opens Friday at Cottage Theatre in Cottage Grove Cottage Grove, village (1990 pop. 22,935), Washington co., SE Minn., near the St. Croix River; inc. 1965. There is farming (cattle, sheep, corn, and soybeans) and manufacturing (chemicals and machinery). . "There is no story other than the individual stories. There are people who love their jobs and people who hate their jobs. What ties it together is real life." This is not, Rust said, your everyday book musical, where characters interact and push forward a story line. But neither, he said, is it a simple revue revue, a stage presentation that originated in the early 19th cent. as a light, satirical commentary on current events. It was rapidly developed, particularly in England and the United States, into an amorphous musical entertainment, retaining a small amount of . "It looks like a collection of vignettes more than anything," he said. "It has a nice connection between the pieces as they all come and go. It is very much pieces of their lives." Some people, of course, like their jobs better than do others. When the parking lot attendant sings about his work, so happy does he turn out to be that a chorus of back-up singers materializes. "Those songs that do that are more like imagination coming to life," Rust said. Rust said he first saw the show in a Eugene production 20 years ago and has loved it ever since. All 13 actors in the musical will have more than one role to play. The cast includes Larry Brown Larry Brown may refer to:
PLAY PREVIEW Working What: A Broadway-style musical based on Studs Terkel's oral history of work in America Where: Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 25 Tickets: $18 adult, $17 student and senior (942-8001) |
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