Belmont University Musical Theatre's WORKING: A MUSICAL Offers Audiences a Heartfelt, Emotional Tribute to American Workers

It’s been 35 years since I started reviewing theater in the Nashville area and looking back through my theatrical memories is like viewing my make-believe world  through a kaleidoscope. My memories are colorful and multi-faceted, a collection of productions both good and bad and everything possible in-between – all of them somehow inspiring, challenging and provocative in ways disparate and hard to define. But whether I liked the show or not, each one has contributed to the vast repository of theater stuff that resides in my brain and in my heart and which makes me who I am today. I know – and fully realize – how lucky I am.

Last Saturday, as I settled into my seat at Massey Performing Arts Center for the latest production from Belmont University Musical Theatre, I had already recalled that it was in 1988 that I last witnessed a production of Working, the musical based upon the book of the same name by Chicago columnist Studs Turkel (some ten years after it had premiered at The Goodman Theatre), when I was suddenly struck by the fact that I had first reviewed theater at Belmont some 35 years ago, as well. I marveled during those anticipatory few minutes before the lights dimmed in the auditorium and the band played its first notes from the show’s score, how live theater has evolved on the Belmont campus.

In 1988, theater was just as vibrant and imaginative as it is in the 21st century, although Belmont Little Theatre (which still exists and functions as it always has) is a far more intimate setting than we are likely to find ourselves in for a production today. To say that theater at Belmont – which includes work from both the Department of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Musical Theatre, as well as student-led ensembles or off-campus entities – has come a long way in the intervening 35 years. No matter how cliché it may sound, it simply cannot be truer or more profound.

The reason I share all of this with you, gentle reader, is to hopefully provide context to what comes next: Over the past three-and-a-half decades, I have had the privilege of seeing some remarkably talented and gifted young actors on every stage on the Belmont campus and never have I ever left a performance there without feeling inspired, absolutely certain that the future of theater as we know it is pre-ordained and so very hopeful.

It's been that knowledge and the memories of this particular production of Working that has sustained me during a challenging week that seemed contrived to bring me down. Yet the spirit of director Erica Aubrey’s amazing ensemble of actors onstage – and the efforts of every artist whether onstage or off – filled me with such hope and inspiration that I have persevered, ready to witness another 35 years of theater.

A spirited and heartfelt tribute to the American worker, the people whose daily efforts keep our world running apace, Working features a book by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Paso, with music and lyrics by Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor and by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who contributed updates for a 2012 revival. Described as a “documentary musical,” Working is based upon the very real and authentic women and men whose stories were gathered by Turkel and compiled for his best-selling book. The script performed in the recent BUMT production is from Miranda's 2012 update, with new orchestrations by his frequent collaborator Alex Lacamoire.

The characters in Working are based upon the actual people who shared the stories of their lives with Turkel, lending gravitas to the undertaking and providing inspiration to the young people in Aubrey’s charge who bring them to life with a sense of fearlessness and commitment that is awe-inspiring. Featuring superb musical direction by Nate Strasser, who leads the impressive four-person onstage band (Tim Calhoun, Cameron Bertolet and Daniel Kozlowski join him in making music) with aplomb and an unerring sense of professionalism, Working remains a vital part of musical theater that reflects the evolution of labor in America, made even more engaging by Aubrey’s focused direction and visionary interpretation.

Student Abby Scalici, who delivers a stunning performance as part of the musical’s ensemble of actors, does double-duty as the show’s choreographer, infusing the production with imaginative movement that helps to capture the sense of immediacy that persists throughout the 90-minute show which moves fluidly from one shining moment to the next. Scalici's skills as a choreographer are on full display in her inventive staging of “Brother Trucker,” which very nearly brings the house down thanks to the splendid performance of Jeremiah Gascho and the ensemble; “Cleanin’ Women,” which features the talented Mely Berdion and the women of the ensemble; and in “It’s An Art,” during which she shows off her own stage presence as a waitress who brings her skills as an actor from one table to the next.

Perhaps most noteworthy about Working, especially in the context of the history of theatre at Belmont, is the diversity of its cast which now more accurately reflects the make-up of contemporary America: capable and charismatic brown, black and white performers of all body types bring these stories to life with ferocious commitment that lends honesty to the proceedings. Kudos to musical theatre coordinator Nancy Allen and her faculty and staff (and to Belmont’s administration) for their tireless efforts in helping to make the university’s community more representative of our world.

The talent, versatility and passion of each actor is brought to bear throughout the production, as they effectively and earnestly bring each character to life with palpable respect, genuinely expressed grace and the pervasive camaraderie that inform each performance. Aubrey’s staging, which allows every member of the cast to move seamlessly from one character to another, from one musical number to the next, creates an ensemble performance in every sense of the word, while giving each performer her or his moment to stand in the spotlight and to create an indelible sense of who they are as individuals. As the actors become multiple characters, the startling stage presence of each actor astonishes and leaves a mark on the heart of every audience member.

Nashville native Xander Benton delivers the goods in “Delivery,” music and lyrics by Miranda, a tribute to a McDonald’s worker with initiative. Caitie Whittet, who time after time has skillfully and artfully brought characters to life with finesse on a Belmont stage, portrays a long-serving educator attempting to adapt to changes in the classroom with “Nobody Tells Me How.” Offering deeply felt and realized moments, Alaina Bozarth, with “Just a Housewife,” and Rachael Gomez, in “Millwork,” exemplify the efforts of working women who run the gamut of laborers in America, while Kieran Callahan delivers a stirring and emotional portrait of “The Mason.”

Among the startling portraits created by the character-driven music, Jianna Magsino and Destiny McIntosh offer the compelling “A Very Good Day,” in which they salute caregivers, that is almost certain to deliver an emotionally draining impact. They are joined by Molly Neal for the equally impressive, heartrending and beautifully expressed “If I Could’ve Been.”

Xavier Wilson is quietly intense (which makes him all the more effective) as “Joe,” a working-class hero, and in the devastatingly emotional “Fathers and Sons.” Xavier May uses his comedic skills to perfection as a charming parking lot attendant in “Lovin’ Al,” with features the women in the ensemble, as well. Furthermore, the Xaviers – Messrs. Benton, Wilson and May – offer proof that their shared given name is a very popular one among a certain age demographic that heretofore was unnoted by me.

Aubrey is to be recognized for her terrific set design, which is lighted to perfection by Richard Davis and Leah Spurlock, while Payton Tabb’s projections design help define the time and place in which the world of Working is set, and Melissa Durman’s costumes help each character to be seen as an individual and not just a cog in a piece of machinery. Finally, congratulations to Grace Heinrichs for her superb props.

Working: A Musical. From the book by Studs Turkel. Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso. With additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg. New orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire. Songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rogers and Susan Birkehead, Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor. Directed by Erica Aubrey. Musical direction by Nate Strasser. Choreography by Abby Scalici. Stage managed by Zoe Phillips and Luke Ryan. Coordinator of Musical Theatre Nancy Allen. Presented by Belmont University Musical Theatre. At Massey Performing Arts Center, Nashville. October 6-8. Running time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

photos by PAYTON TABB

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