The Department of Music and Theatre Arts presents
Spring Musical: Working
at the Lauren K. Woods Theatre
Monmouth University’s Department of Music & Theatre will present the first East Coast production of the newly revised musical, Working, based on the book by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Studs Terkel. Adapted by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, and Godspell) from his original version with Nino Faso, the new Working recently completed a run in Chicago. Monmouth’s production will be the first by any university in the country.
Directed by Nicole Ricciardi, Working is the working man’s A Chorus Line. A musical exploration of twenty-six people from all walks of life, with songs by all-star composers Craig Carnelia (Sweet Smell of Success), Micki Grant (Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope), Tony Award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), Mary Rodgers (Once Upon A Mattress), Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam), Stephen Schwartz, and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, James Taylor. The musical director is George Wurzbach.
Working celebrates everyday people in a genuinely funny and touching way, and has been called “the perfect musical for everyone who has ever worked a day in their lives.” Updated to fit 21st century audiences, cast members sing and dance with cell phones and laptops as they tell the tales of traditional careers: teacher, waitress, firefighter; and more modern additions: hedge fund manager, UPS delivery man, and a customer service representative in India.
2012 Show Dates/Times
| Wednesday, March 28 | 8 p.m. | |
| Thursday, March 29 | 8 p.m. | |
| Friday, March 30 | 8 p.m. | |
| Saturday, March 31 | 8 p.m. | |
| Sunday, April 1 | 3 p.m. | |
| Tuesday, April 3 | 8 p.m. | |
| Wednesday, April 4 | 8 p.m. | |
| Thursday, April 5 | 8 p.m. | |
| Additional Information | ||
The Department of Music and Theatre Arts presents
Spring Concert: “Rule Americana ”
Pollak Theatre
April 20, 2012
7:30 p.m.
Students in the Monmouth University Orchestra, the Concert Choir, and the Chamber Choir will perform. Department Chair David Tripold, with faculty members Ron Frangipane and Michael Gillette, have selected representative works from renowned American composers, mostly of the 20th century. Among the works to be heard that evening will be Samuel Barber’s “Sure on a Shining Night” and his popular “Adagio For Strings,” “Alleluia” by Randall Thompson, and the “Chichester Psalms” by Leonard Bernstein, which will feature the soloist Jeffrey Mendelbaum, who is on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera and has performed concerts and opera up and down the East Coast.
In addition, two works by Aaron Copeland – “Appalachian Spring Suite” and “At The River” – will be performed, conducted by Professor Frangipane, who studied with Copeland and will share personal memories of their work together. Dr. Tripold will conduct the choirs.
The sibling team of George and Ira Gershwin will be represented by songs from their classic jazz opera, Porgy and Bess, currently enjoying a revival on Broadway. The hit song “Summertime” will be sung by soprano Jamie Baer-Peterson. Ms. Baer-Peterson was educated at The Eastman School of Music and began her professional operatic career as an apprentice with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
“It Ain’t Necessarily So” will be performed by the award-winning baritone Mark Wilson, who has performed with the Asheville Lyric Opera, the Hartford Chorale, and the North Shore Music Festival, where he performed the role of Angelotti in Puccini’s Tosca. The moving “Bess, You Is My Woman” will be sung by Mr. Wilson and Ms. Baer-Peterson. Another popular composer of the 1930s, Cole Porter, will be represented by “The Oyster,” sung by Neal Harrelson. Mr. Harrelson trained with the prestigious Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and has performed with operas and orchestras throughout the US. Professor Gillette will be the concertmaster. To illustrate the expanse of American music, the Chamber Choir will also perform “Chester” by the 18th-century composer William Billings.
