Thursday, February 06, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Theater: Labored day

Working is thoughtfully staged, but muddy singing, dour mood hamper production

By Erin Auerbach

With a name like Working, there are countless double entendres that are just too easy to employ in describing this musical. Although the thought and effort poured into Jade's production is obvious, the result isn't necessarily a job well done.

Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso adapted Studs Terkel's book of interviews with ordinary men and women, working a variety of different jobs from construction to teaching. Although it opened on Broadway in 1978, the timeless theme of the working stiffs' blues still packs plenty of punch, and it was updated in 1999, incorporating obligatory references to e-mail in some of the monologues.

Perhaps the best aspect of the show is its mix of music, as Schwartz collaborated with James Taylor, Micki Grant, Craig Carnelia, Susan Birkinhead and Mary Rodgers. There are several enjoyable tunes, such as "Lovin Al," "Gee It's Neat to Be a Newsboy," "Mill Work" and "It's an Art." This marriage of musical, folk and rock writers provides an eclectic and riveting blend of songs.

Jade Productions enriches many moments with Kristin Gressley's simple and interesting choreography. David M. Schulman's lighting design is notably effective as well. The set is kept plain and fairly bare, resembling a construction zone with just enough levels to keep it interesting.

But no matter how hard the actors work, they just don't quite get the job done. The company makes two big errors that cheat the show of its full potential: the singing and the mood.

The music itself sounds good. Musical director and keyboard player Pat Demain does an excellent job of making five good musicians sound like a full, rich orchestra. And this is a wonderful gift to the actors, who are often forced to conform to prerecorded music in community productions.

Many of the actors onstage have appeared in numerous musicals around town and sounded okay, but many of them struggle here. It's hard to tell if they were just miscast or if the music is just too tough for them. There are more pitch problems in this production than the first round of auditions on "American Idol." A lot of the men's voices simply can't reach the plethora of high tenor notes in the score. Others never quite figure out what key the song is in. The women didn't fare well, either. Some of them seemed afraid of their notes, or their voices were just too weak to thrust any kind of power into their songs.

There were exceptions. Quentin Walters sings "Lovin Al" nicely, giving it some spirit and oomph to go with his melodic interpretation. Faith Solomen sings "Just a Housewife" very well, giving it the proper, timid interpretation and keeping her vocals gentle. She struggled a bit with "It's an Art," but she never really lost control of the music and took some joy in her work. And in this production that's saying a lot.

Some of the singers sing flat because of the heavy-footed interpretation of their characters. They are so intent on showing the humdrum, physically and emotionally draining nature of working life that they drag their voices and performances in the mud. Even if some of the characters are truly miserable, there's some ironic and inherent sense of joy in the music that isn't acknowledged. The serious interpretations are so morbid that it leaves you to wonder why some of these people ever get out of bed.

Another exception is Martha Watson, who takes great pride in her characters and treats them with respect. She's especially vibrant as the cleaning woman who swears her daughter will do more with her life than she did. Her work and predicament are arguably as frustrating and bland as everyone else's, but she has a presence and accessibility that engages the audience, making them want to know more about her.

There's a scene in the movie Office Space that comes to mind. One character says, "Most people don't like their jobs, but you go out there and you find something that makes you happy." The movie has a great sense of humor about how much working sucks. Unfortunately, Working doesn't.

Working plays Feb. 6-8, 13-15 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. at the Summerlin Library Theatre. Info: 263-6385.