Review: 'Working' By St. Andrew's Episcopal School

A Cappies review of the performance of "Working" at St. Andrew's Episcopal School on Saturday, May 15, 2021.

By Cecil Turner-Veselka, Loudoun Valley High School

POTOMAC, MD — "I hear America singing..."

This is a time in which the laborers of this country deserve their due recognition. No matter how hard it has been to keep the world turning, we have, continuing the proud song of generations. Now, a high school theater adds its own proud voice to the chorus. A musical featuring the genius of Steven Schwartz, Working was written in 1978 and revamped in 2012 to include the early work of Lin-Manuel Miranda. It artfully sculpts Studs Terkel's interviews of America's workers into a touching string of ballads and monologues that reveal a motley collective of real people, all proudly displaying their little worlds for inspection. From hedge fund managers to waitresses, nannies and stay-at-home moms, Working lets the moving parts of society open their windows to the air, leaving unforgettable marks for the future to admire.

With a show made primarily of individual numbers, every member of the cast from St. Andrews had to be powerful in their own way, and each and every one of them met their challenge proudly. Sweet, weary, and steadfast, Charlotte Lobring embodied the exasperation of a modern housewife with grace. Her delicate vocals stood their ground without assuming, shaping her character as much as her open expressions. The housewife warmed hearts. In contrast with Lobring's solemnity, Adrienne Ahmad's waitress exploded with playfulness and charisma. She sang with an impassioned tang, filling a space twice her size with a flare that drew grins even from her painted backdrop. One grounded and one soaring, individuality and honesty shone in their every fiber. Musical talent, however, was not the sum of the show. Oliver Bush, an earthy ironworker, held the first monologue of the show. His frankness led into the piece, and he set a sturdy foundation for what would follow. Bush captured the sound of the working class so genuinely that one could almost see the calluses on his fingers.

Working conquered the challenges of filming with effortless delicacy. Although no two actors stood together on stage, the show had no trouble creating a unified, textured image. While Mutunga Lamin and Jordan Elias monologued about their failings in communication, St. Andrews itself clearly had no such issue. A Verizon representative and a receptionist, Lamin and Elias produced flavors of loneliness that intermingled flawlessly. Their heartfelt beats and pauses were understated and perfectly rhythmic, and their chemistry sang even as they dreamed in separate corners of the universe. Another such pair, Gabriel Martinez and Annie Li, spun their tender voices into a dazzling tapestry of pure love as they performed as an elder care worker and a nanny. They shared an intrinsic gentleness that connected them, and their duet was a truly glowing moment. The entire ensemble held a wonderfully challenging cohesion, impressive to the last wave of a hand. From empowering, playful introduction to foot-tapping, bubbly Broadway finale, the cast brought stars into every eye."

Everyone should have something to point to..." and the cast of St. Andrews Episcopal School can point to this production. From the stars on stage to the editing team (Matthias Heitner, Dylan Luchsinger, Jack Schoeb) and musicians (Kate Bailey, Julian Delogu, Aaron Lobsenz, Henry Freytag, and Kalev Murray-Rouse), each one filled in their part of the whole with pride and care, even to the smallest detail. Not a line on the sketched backdrops was sloppy, nor a note or a word misplaced, nor a movement less than smooth. Working made the little things count. If there were a wall on which was carved the names of every person who had worked on this show, St. Andrews would have earned their place alongside the greatest of the time.