Blue-collar America might seem like a completely different country to students on the Hill, but as Torn Ticket II's spring minor highlights, ordinary laborers are an inexorable part of our everyday life. Through song and narration, "Working" gives due credit to the often-invisible men and women who keep America running.
The show's opening number asks, "Hey somebody, don't you want to hear the story of my life?" This question serves as the structure for the rest of "Working." Laborers in almost 20 different jobs tell the stories of their daily lives. A UPS delivery man, a socialite, a firefighter and a waitress all have their say.
The cast is dressed entirely in black; the only color comes from the accessories relevant to their respective jobs. This style alludes to one of the show's major points: Most people are defined by the work they do. So what happens when one retires? What happens when one hates his or her job - or worse, never gets credit for it?
The show's poignant vignettes are usually punctuated with song, ranging from sad to frustrated to funny depending on the character singing. The songs are accompanied by a five-piece live band that helps maintain the energy undercutting the entire production.
In several numbers, the cast turns the motions of the workday into a kind of dance. Factory workers make luggage in time with the music, and in the song "Brother Trucker," driving becomes something of an art.
"Working" will be performed in Barnum 008, a space that director Adam Dworkin feels contributes to the show's uniqueness.
"It's not your traditional play in the way that it's structured or the kind of space we're performing in," Dworkin, a junior, said. Although the show mainly represents blue-collar workers, Dworkin feels that "it's still relevant to the lives of Tufts students."
"It really validates everybody's place in the working world," Dworkin said.
"Working" will be performed on Tuesday, April 8 and Wednesday, April 9. There is no charge for admission.
