Some just do it for the money, others seek their fulfillment in it. We’re talking about work. The musical “Working” is devoted to the banal-sounding topic for almost two hours. In Studs Terkel’s book of the same name from 1974, on which the musical is based, people with different professions report on their everyday work in interviews. Six students slip into the successful staging of “Working” directed by April Hailer Bavarian Theater Academy August Everding in a total of 25 roles and tell the different life stories.
“Working” has no dramaturgical arc. In the course of the evening you will learn the characters’ independent stories. You stumble from person to person, are briefly introduced into one world and thrown straight into the next. You get to know a tearful press spokesman who explains his self-doubts to a therapist, a bricklayer who praises his love for stones, or a truck driver who has not seen his wife for ages because of his job. In a humorous way you learn about the fears, longings and joys of the workers. Extreme clichés are inevitable when it comes to “Working”. The fact that the original texts from Terkel’s book were used for the monologues gives the characters authenticity. The words come from people who actually did these jobs.
Musically, the staging is just as varied as the different personalities on stage. Rock meets western and jazz meets salsa. The many changes of scene led to the decision for a very simple stage design, which does not affect the quality of the staging. After all, the diverse characters alone create a fresh dynamic that carries the audience through the evening. The premiere of “Working” in the Akademietheater ends with enthusiastic applause. After that it is first of all for the actors: End of work! And they deserve it.