Acting Company celebrates the common man

With the economy in its present state, a relevant discussion could include the idea of working and what unique challenges a person's job entails.

This is the idea behind "Working," the latest production from the Acting Company in Yuba City.

"Working" is based on the book of the same name by Studs Terkel. In the book, Terkel interviewed many different people about their jobs and allowed them to discuss their hopes and aspirations. In 1978, Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso took these interviews and turned them into a musical.

"I like to think of it as a celebration of the common person," said the play's director, John Elliott. "It's a musical about the working man (that) highlights the fabric of America. It's about real people and shows the joy in the ordinary."

There is no plot that unifies "Working." The musical is a series of monologues and songs by different workers who articulate their jobs to the audience.

Jobs represented in the musical include: an ironworker, a parking lot attendant, an office worker, a teacher, a farm worker, a newsboy, a housewife, a hooker, a socialite, a waitress and a firefighter.

Since the musical is a series of monologues and songs, there are no lead roles. There are 18 members of the cast, including Chris Collier, Gary Conover, Davey Eaves, Taylor Jemison, Ada Schmidt, Ted Shadle and John Trent.

The 18 members of the cast play 50 different roles. This made logistics hard, Elliott said, because they had to see which actor was available for each scene without putting any on stage two scenes in a row.

The score includes songs by Schwartz, Micki Gant and singer-songwriter James Taylor. "The score is the most tuneful I've ever heard. Most are really catchy," Elliott said. The music will also be performed live by a six-piece band.

Directing the play was something of a challenge for Elliott, who suffered from vertigo while preparing for the musical. "I usually prowl around the theater when I'm directing. But for this play, I sat in one seat and directed from there."

Because of his condition, Elliott said he relied heavily on his music director, Debbie Collier, for support. "She became the de facto assistant director," he said.

He also relied upon his stage manager, Sydney Johnson, who is all of 13 years old. "She went with her mother to rehearsals and she's just amazing."

"Working" is something of an obscure musical to most audiences — and theater people — but Elliott said the audience will enjoy the performance.

"The cast is having a lot of fun with this and is really enjoying it," he said. "It's a really upbeat, fun show."

"Working"

Times: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; runs to Aug. 24

Where: The Acting Company, 815 B St., Yuba City

Tickets: $15. Call 751-1100