Directed by Gordon Greenberg , Working will feature Chicago stars E. Faye Butler, Barbara Robertson and Gene Weygandt. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.
This is expected to be a test production leading to a wider life for the refreshed 1978 Broadway show, which has contributions from a variety of pop and theatre songwriters.
Based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Chicago hero Studs Terkel, Working has been newly adapted by its original co-creator Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell). Working is "a musical exploration of 26 people from all walks of life," with songs by all-star composers Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Tony Award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz and Grammy Award-winning James Taylor.
According to the producers, "Working celebrates everyday people, fills you with hope and inspiration and is the perfect musical for anyone who has ever worked a day in their lives."
Produced by Jed Bernstein, Dianne Fraser and Sheila Simon Geltzer, this new Working was adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso. Scenic design is by Beowulf Boritt. Butler (Woman 2) is winner of six Joseph Jefferson Awards. Her Chicago credits include Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre's Little Shop of Horrors; The Goodman Theatre's A Christmas Carol; Steppenwolf Theatre's Crumbs From the Table of Joy; Court Theatre's Caroline or Change; Chicago Shakespeare's Seussical The Musical; and Victory Gardens Theatre's Blue Sonata.
Robertson (Woman 3) played Madame Morrible in Wicked. Chicago credits include Goodman Theatre's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?; Chicago Shakespeare's Kabuki Lady MacBeth; Court Theatre's House of Blue Leaves; Lookingglass Theatre's Hard Times; Steppenwolf's A Summer Remembered; and the national tour of Angels in America.
Weygandt (Man 3) is perhaps best known as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the smash hit Wicked in Chicago and on Broadway. Winner of three Joseph Jefferson Awards, theatre credits include The Music Man, Me and My Girl, The Light In The Piazza, Hairspray, The Drowsy Chaperone, Don't Dress for Dinner and Lend Me a Tenor and Broadway's Big.
The late Studs Terkel, an author and TV and radio host, was best known for his oral histories of ordinary Americans. "The Good War" and "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel" were two of his best-sellers.
Tickets for Working are now on sale to groups of 15 or more by calling (312) 977-1710. Individual tickets for Working will be available at a later date to be announced.
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