MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The Strollers community theater will open its 88th season with a presentation of “Working: A Musical,” from the book by Studs Terkel; adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso with additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg; with songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Schwartz. This contemporary crowd pleaser will be performed for three weekends in November at the Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road in Maplewood.
The production will be presented Fridays, Nov. 8, 15 and 22, and Saturdays, Nov. 9, 16 and 23, at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, Nov. 10 and 17, at 2 p.m. Visit www.thestrollers.org for information and to purchase tickets, or call 973-761-8453 to reserve tickets.
Based on Terkel’s best-selling book of interviews with the American workforce, “Working” is a delightfully funny and thoroughly touching musical. It is both an exploration of the individuals’ occupations and a lament for lost hopes and dreams. It takes the viewpoint of an average worker — such as a waitress, a trucker, a housewife or a fast-food delivery boy — whose life and aspirations reflect the diversity that is America. First staged in Chicago in 1977, “Working” debuted on Broadway the next year; decades later, an update of the show led to the addition of music from artists such as famed “Hamilton” creator Miranda.
“Working” features a cast that includes TJ Balady, Ginny S. Crooks, Alicia Dennis, Alan H. Foster, Christine Hjorth, Jessica Katz, Rose M. Ladutke, George Ngo, Donald Pauselius, Vicki Ridley, Melyssa Searcy, Meghan Sudol and Simcha Willick. The production is directed by Rachel Rubin Ladutke and produced by Alan Foster, with musical direction by Michael Nuzzo and stage management by Molly Holzbauer. Other production members include costumer Wanda Maragni, set and lighting designers John Mendlovitz and Ken Lordy, and properties mistress Yvonne Perry.
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