Working

The 3 Big Men are ‘Working’ for the man.

‘Working’ is a collaborative effort from the pens of Craig Carnella, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor, Michelle Brourman and, most notably, Stephen Schwartz. It’s essentially a song cycle, interspersed with a series of monologues – all revolving around working individuals. The fireman, the mason, the teacher, and the housewife are just a few of the characters who engage us with stories of their working life, their burdens, their sacrifices and their hopes and dreams.

From the outset, it is fair to say that ‘Working’ is a challenging piece to direct. The conglomeration of monologues and songs feel as though they were put together by a committee and, technically speaking, they were. The number of contributors to this project gives the show itself a certain clunkiness and inconsistency; it then becomes the director’s job to create appropriate segues between sections to create a smoothly flowing production. Director Dione Joseph was clearly mindful of this, and was able to create some meaningful connections between scenes to create a sense of flow. From an audience perspective however, the choice to mix both American and Australian accents interrupted the continuity; the dialogue of this show is positively littered with Americanisms and it was odd to hear them spoken with an Australian twang. Having said that, both director and cast approached the presentation of each monologue with a keen sense of each character’s voice, mannerisms and physicality. David Macrae’s mason was subtly touching and Darren Mort’s fireman was blokey and humorous yet believable.

Set designer Fiona Miller chose to open up the space in the theatre, eliminating the wings completely. The band, clearly visible, sat to one side of a skeletal urban set that consisted of a low asymmetrical catwalk in front of cyclone fencing. The simplicity of the space was an effective choice; this is a show whose heart lies in its characters, not in its flashiness. However, the space was intermittently disturbed by obvious appearances from the crew members, whose movement up and down the side aisles was quite distracting. A screen at the centre back of the stage ran a multimedia presentation of images of workers and information about different forms of depression – in keeping with the company’s association with Beyond Blue (www.beyondblue.org.au). The images were well placed and added an interesting dimension and depth to the action on stage. Sometimes, however, the information on depression jarred the flow of the production as it was difficult to concentrate on the content of the monologues and simultaneously read a full screen of information. Having said that, there were times when this information was indeed poignant, particularly the facts on post-natal depression being flashed up during ‘Just A Housewife’. Miller also designed the costumes and made some interesting choices. The style of music, language and set all pointed to a modern production, so the appearance of fifties housewife garb and French maid style outfits, while well coordinated, seemed a little inconsistent. Lighting by Jason Bovaird was powerful without being distracting, using lots of beams of light that cut through the darkness. Little touches like creating the truck headlights during Mike Newman’s fun rendition of ‘Brother Trucker’ were both simple and effective.

The music of this show was a real highlight. Ably musically directed by Daniel Heskett, the calibre of voices was a delight to listen to; harmonies were both tight and balanced and the cast as a whole produced an exciting depth of sound. Some vocal standouts included David Barclay, who rendered ‘Fathers and Sons’ with a sensitivity that belied his earlier portrayal as the tough steel worker; the compelling Elle Sejean, whose rendition of ‘Cleaning Women’ showcased a powerful belt; and Christine Dixon, who led the women in ‘Just A Housewife’ with a striking mix of despair and defiance. The band - in which Heskett impressively multitasked, playing synth and trumpet while conducting - were well mixed and never overpowered the singers.

Choreographer Kate Mulheran adhered to the show’s thematic simplicity, keeping movement relatively understated. All choreography was well executed, and Eden Cooper-Greene must be particularly commended on performing the entirety of ‘It’s An Art’ en pointe without sacrificing vocal consistency or character. Some numbers, ‘Traffic Jam’ for example, were very effective in their simplicity of movement and use of formation, but there were times when the choreography was perhaps a little too theatrical in style. There was a certain incongruity in having chorus lines and grapevines in a show that espouses what is often the gritty reality of working life.

Depending on our own experiences, everyone who sees the production will be moved by the character or situation with which they most identify. As such, standout performances will no doubt very from person to person. Todd Morgan, Rachel Collins, Barbara Hughes and Christian Cavallo gave excellent performances, all giving substance to the many and varied characters they played. Hughes’ portrayal of tired teacher Rose Hoffman found exactly the right balance between humour and pathos. Collins nicely contrasted ditsy checkout chick Babe Secoli with tough millworker Grace Clements, and her rendition of ‘Millwork’ showcased her wonderful voice without overplaying the character. Morgan’s consistency of accent and energy through various characters, coupled with a smooth and consistent singing voice was clearly appreciated by the audience. Cavallo too showed off his knack for accents and snap character changes, but it was his portrayal of Roberto Nunez that was an absolute standout. Admittedly, this character could have easily dissolved into an Old El Paso stereotype, but Cavallo kept it refreshingly honest and managed to deliver his story through his song, despite the lyrics being in Spanish.

3 Big Men Productions have not only produced a heartfelt piece of theatre, but have added soul to their work by connecting the piece to the very real issue of depression in the workforce that exists within our society. Bringing the issue into the collective consciousness of the audience truly emphasises some of the messages of ‘Working’, and the cast and crew are to be commended on both their production and commitment to social service.

Kathryn has been involved in a variety of productions over the past ten years, performing in both musicals and plays. She has worked in all facets of theatre; on production teams, backstage, as a costumer and designer and as a performer. She has most recently appeared in productions of Oklahoma!, Julius Caesar (Metellus), The Witches of Eastwick (Gina Marino) and Oliver! (Nancy). This year, Kathryn directed and choreographed MDMS’ production of Jesus Christ Superstar.