Devilish actors tighten their performances in 'Working'

The audience for "Working," which is now playing at The Acting Company on B Street in Yuba City, was a bit thin Saturday night, but the Yuba-Sutter Fair had also opened, so many people were understandably distracted.

For one thing, the $7 tickets to the fair cost half as much. For another, the plotlines of cows and clowns, pigs and palm readers, rides and ring tosses are so much easier to explain to kids than the adult messages behind the songs and monologues in "Working."

Nevertheless, "Working" continues weekends through Aug. 24, so there is still time to catch this off-beat musical with John Elliott directing the acting and Debbie Collier directing the music.

"Working" is a series of songs depicting themes of the life on the job in the blue collar and middle-management working classes.

The scenes and lyrics of the 17 songs were adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso from Studs Terkel's book of the same title.

I saw this show on opening night, always a tough night for community theater groups. It was good then and has gotten even better since. Even Nancy Perillo's costumes seemed spruced up.

Orchestra leader Steve Shepard smoothed out the music — aided, I think, by John Proctor's return on the trumpet. (Proctor was unavailable opening night.)

This musical sharpening up clearly benefited the singer-actors, all of whom have honed their songs and parts, some of them almost to perfection.

Particularly noteworthy were the vocal performances of Stephanie Balmer on "It's an Art" and Ada Schmidt on "If I Could've Been," Davey Eaves on "Lovin' Al" and Paisley Moore doing "Cleanin' Women."

The first act ensemble song, "Damn This Traffic Jam," with John Trent, Chris Collier, Betsy Johnson, Taylor Jemison, Moore and Proctor was among the most improved, if only because it is one of the most complex scenes with actors in rolling chairs pretending to be commuters.

There is another aspect to the individual acting parts that deserves mention, especially that of Gary Conover, who plays both an ironworker and an old retiree. Both of his monologues are very long. Just remembering all those lines is an achievement.

Also showing themselves to be good and getting better were John Trent in his several parts: Anthony Dost, who did a terrific job on the "Brother Trucker" song; Betsy Johnson as the millworker; Eleanor Bordsen both as the schoolteacher and the socialite; Ted Shadle as the UPS man.

Mike Pugh, who was also absent opening night, did a fine job as a firefighter.

Again, everyone was good; it's just that those I've mentioned added something extra to what they were giving to the audience.

Some of these extras came as a surprise to the director.

"As the cast gets comfortable with their roles, they begin to embellish, often without telling me about it," director John Elliott said in a post-show e-mail.

"There were two incidences on Saturday. The Satan tail on the boss as he exited was John Trent's idea," Elliott wrote.

"The basket of plastic fruit brought on by the farm workers was their idea. I nixed the fruit as distractingly cheesy ..."

I noticed the fruit basket touch. My only objection was that it contained an unlikely variety of crops. The California corporate agribusiness rule of thumb is simple: one field; one crop.

"But I'm letting the tail be, even if it does add whimsy where it probably shouldn't be," Elliott wrote.

The devil's forked tail is revealed when Trent turns around to exit.

"My bottom line is what would Studs think, and who knows, he might chuckle," Elliott concluded.

Personally, I thought the devil's tail was a splendid touch. It not only added humor, but it also solidified the character of the jerk boss. I'm glad Elliott is keeping it.

Tickets for "Working" are a mere $15 — a reasonably affordable price for those of us still laboring in the lower ranks of society.

Also at TAC, auditions for the forthcoming drama, "Wit," are set for 6:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the theater at 815 B St., in Yuba City. The show is to run Oct. 3 to 26.

"Wit" is a drama by playwright Margaret Edson about a woman dying of ovarian cancer. It has major parts for three women and three men, and four supporting roles for both men and women.

It is built around the recollections of Dr. Vivian Bearing, an unmarried English professor with no children, who reflects upon life while reading the metaphysical poetry of John Donne.

"Wit" won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for drama and was later produced as a made-for TV movie featuring Emma Thompson, Christopher Lloyd and Harold Pinter.

The central themes of this look-back-on-life play are pain, remorse, death and a possible light at the end of the tunnel.

Consumer advisory: Weepers should bring Kleenex.

At the Off Center Stage Theater in Grass Valley this weekend is a comedy-drama you might want to catch: "Steel Magnolias" by Robert Harling.

The storyline revolves around Truvy's, a beauty shop in a small town in Louisiana where a close-knit group of five women share the humor and pathos of their lives.

Also involved in the production is the Lake Wildwood Theatre Company.

Performances are set for 7 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.

Tickets are $15 general admission and $12 for seniors and students. The theater is located at 315 Richardson St., Grass Valley.

Award-winning journalist and author Tom Nadeau has written for and acted on stage, screen, radio and television. Write to him at theaterland@gmail.com.