Musical highlights working class

    Next week, in a small black theater in Wilson Hall, the Murray State theater department will display the lives of the common man in the musical “Working.”
    Based on the 1972 book by Studs Terkel, “Working” is a musical about the working class of America. Terkel interviewed hundreds of people about their feelings toward their jobs, which range from steel workers to hookers.
    In 1978, Stephen Schwartz received permission to turn the book into a musical.
    Angi Hanan, assistant professor of theater and director of the production, said “Working” differs from mainstream musicals, with its reliance on monologues, soloists and unique method of plot revelation.
     “It’s not traditional in the way it’s set up,” she said. “We segue from one person to another without the benefit of a real set structure, but there is a common thread that binds them all, which is why they do what they do.”    
    Though not a recently written musical, the problems that the characters face are very relatable to audience members today, Hanan said.
    “People are talking about a changing economy, layoffs, putting their kids through college,” she said. “Several of them also fantasize about what it might be like if something happened where they maybe didn’t have to go to work everyday. Which is, I think, fairly universal, even for us who love our work.”
    Hanan, who has performed in the musical twice, said “Working” provides a personal look into the lives of the characters.
    “It definitely lends itself to the space that we have to work in,” she said. “Being that it is such an intimate show, being in such an intimate space reminds us that we don’t have to dust it up with show glitter, but to keep it real and honor the voices that are represented.”
    Hanan said she wanted to scale back the larger-than-life spectacle of traditional musical theater and focus on the characters themselves.   
    “I really wanted to go back to what’s essential in any story telling,” she said, “which is the personal, individual motivation behind an action and really spend some time getting acquainted with that very basic need for survival.”   
    The key to finding this basic need lies in the music of “Working,” Hanan said.
    “Every time I hear this music, it seems so basic, but it’s really so inspiring,” she said. “I feel that they were able to tap into something really fundamental in all of us and that might be because they base the lyrics on words that came right from the interviews.”
    The musical showcases working parents and their influence on their children’s lives, something that often holds special importance to college students, Hanan said.
    “I think this show actually gives us a glimpse into what motivates those unpopular decisions (made by parents) and see the good place that it comes from,” she said.
    Michael Martin, sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., plays Mike Dillard, an ironworker and father of two children.
    Dillard faces the challenges of a parent wanting more than a working-class life for his son, Martin said.
    Martin said while preparing for the show has been fun, it has also been challenging.
    “It’s really hard playing a man’s man, if you’re not a man’s man,” he said. “I never did any iron working. At first, it was really hard to connect with this character.”
    Martin said his favorite part of the show is the song, “Cleanin’ Women.”
    “It’s all the girls out on stage and Rebekah Davis really sings this song,” he said. “They sound like the Hercules choir. I love watching it and it sounds great.”
    Martin urges people to attend the show for a chance to step into the often unnoticed lives of the workers of America.
    “It opens your eyes up to how everybody thinks about their jobs as well as everyday life, things that people wouldn’t even think about,” he said.
    “Working” provides people with the opportunity to reflect on their own lives by becoming a part of someone else’s, Hanan said.
    “I think we might recognize certainly something about ourselves and the world that we live in and walk away with a deeper understanding of the human condition because we all have to think about work at some point in our lives,” she said.
    “Working” will be performed at 7:30 p.m.  Monday through Thursday in the Actor’s Studio Theatre, Wilson Hall 310B. Admission is free with a Racercard.
    Contact Booth at jamie.booth@murraystate.edu.