..is the reprise heard throughout Working--the Stephen Schwartz musical based on Studs Terkel's Pulitizer Prize winning book. But the show is more about the story of your life. Yes, you! Here's why.

Have you ever had the perfect dream job that truly fulfilled you? You know...nice boss, great salary with fat benefits and a challenging job that you're good at? Or have you had to toe the company line in a job that sucked more than a vacuum cleaner on steroids and endure a boss who could get all his health needs satisfied by a proctologist? Or does your job not go to these extremes? Maybe it's something in between…maybe even boring?

No matter. If you've ever had a job then Working may as well be the story of your life. Because through music, dance and dialogue you'll identify and empathize with the lives of everyday people like a steelworker, a car hiker, waitress, housewife, executive, fireman, hooker, mill worker, migrant worker, truck driver, socialite, retiree... These and more are celebrated in Patio Playhouse's exciting and energetic production.

“Working makes it possible to actually see the worth of these individuals
complaining about their jobs and hoping for something better. With this,
Working is political in the deepest sense, transformative and uplifting.”
- North County Times

Although the workers portrayed are common people...

...some with broken dreams and painful memories, they are truly extraordinary people. What makes them extraordinary is their willingness to reveal so much of themselves--both the good and the bad. There's so much raw honesty spilling out of the characters that you're hijacked on an emotional journey as these workers bare their souls and tell you how they truly feel about their jobs.

You feel the pride when they tell you why their job matters. You root for them as they tell you about how they cope with mind-numbing tasks day after day. And even though you can feel the desperation when some of them tell you of being trapped in a dead end job, you sense they haven't been defeated. There's always hope for a better day.

They share with you their dreams, aspirations and personal triumphs. They share their setbacks, defeats and grief of working for a living. They tell you what makes their job worth working for even if it's a lousy one. And even though you're sitting in a theatre with a crowd of people, what they have to say is so universal and yet so intimate you'll swear they’re talking just to you.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll cheer...

Sometimes all at the same time. You'll recognize pieces of yourself in every one of the people you'll get to know in Working. As the show progresses, you may find yourself thinking “I should be up on that stage telling my story.” That's how much we all share in this activity we call work.

This is a powerful show.

It gives you models of excellence to aspire to and examples of situations that make you grateful for what you have.

As the curtain closes, you'll leave the theatre knowing more about yourself and realizing how much it takes for you to go to work every day and how important your job may be to people that you don't even know. And you know what? You're going to feel good about yourself and what you do. And it'll be real.

Studs Terkel said it best “It was a celebration of the ‘ordinary’ people, whose daily lives are unsung...the anonymous many, whose lives touch ours every day without our realizing it.”

Here's what they said about the original Broadway production of Working:

“Immensely moving ... terrifically original in concept ... it's a glorious show that re-threads the fabric of American life and leaves you cheering.”
- The New York Daily News

“... a kind of maturity not often associated with Broadway shows.”
- Boston Globe

The Performers

The Patio Playhouse production of Working features a strong, synergistic cast as diverse as the characters they portray and a live band to infuse the passion portrayed by the characters in the musical numbers. Richard Brousil and Mary Bright who, respectively, directed and musically directed the highly successful Patio Playhouse production Passing Time at the Tin Pan Tavern, reprise their production roles.

Schedule and Show Times

Come to the show and celebrate your working life. Working opens on March 28 and ends on April 27. Starting times are 8:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 2:00 pm on Sundays. There will be no performance on Easter Sunday.

Ticket prices are $15 adults, $12 seniors and students with ID. $5 for youth under 16.

Parental Warning: Much of the dialogue was taken verbatim from recorded interviews with real people in real jobs. Their "colorful" language is probably not appropriate for children. If this were a movie, one or two of the monologues would be rated R.

Make reservations early so you won't be disappointed.

More about Patio Playhouse.