If you’ve ever worked a day in your life, ever waited a table or slaved the day away in a cubicle, then you’ll love the Broadway musical Working. This upbeat, funny, hauntingly true-to-life musical capturing the stories of everyday working people has something for everyone.

Working is a musical based on the book by Chicago’s own Pulitzer Prize winning author, Studs Terkel. With songs written by Tony Award winners, Grammy winners, and Broadway composers, it should come as no surprise that the songs are not only catchy, but beautifully composed. Quirky and funny songs like “Delivery” about a fast food worker enjoying the days he gets to deliver and breathe fresh air, to songs like “Cleaning Woman” about a woman ending the cycle of her family becoming cleaning women and working to give her daughter a better future and better occupational options. There are over twenty characters portrayed in the musical through various scenes all seamlessly strung together, played by an all-star cast made up of only six actors and actresses. E. Faye Butler gave standout performances, stealing the stage every time she belted out a ballad, portraying a project manager, a housewife, a prostitute, and a cleaning woman. Emjoy Gavino captured our hearts as the hilarious flight attendant, a millworker, a receptionist, and a caregiver. Gabriel Ruiz was an absolute crowd favorite as a food delivery boy, a receptionist, a community organizer, a caregiver, and a young ex-newsroom assistant. Michael Mahler, Barbara Robertson, and Gene Weygandt rounded off the cast with memorable portrayals of workers in all types of professions from all walks of life. With so much talent in this six person cast you’d think there were more than twenty cast members in the company and throughout the show the transitions from one character to another are so seamless that it’s hard to comprehend that the steel worker just became the hedge fund manager in the blink of an eye.

You don’t have to be a fan of musicals to enjoy this show as it appeals to anyone who has ever had a job for any reason. Studs Terkel believed that our work became a part of our identity and his interviews in 1974 shed light on the lives of those whose occupations may be less than desirable, but more than necessary to our society. The musical was originally adapted for the stage by Stephen Schwartz (the brilliant mind behind Wicked, Pippin and Godspell), who made it both entertaining and believable. Throughout the play you’re introduced to hard working people we might overlook every day, from a cleaning lady to an architect and construction worker. Have you ever sat in your cubicle in your building and thought of the people that designed the building? Built the building? How about those who clean the building each night? Ever thought about the lives of those people, where they come from, what their dreams are? Perhaps not, but after seeing this play you might think twice about those people. We all work for a living, no matter what our job is. It isn’t the job that defines us, but we who define our jobs.

Tickets are a little on the pricy side, but in my opinion they are worth every penny. Any musical that can bring both humor and truth to everyday life and open your heart with inspirational and hopeful tales of hard working people. Working is playing at the Broadway Playhouse, for more information and tickets visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.