Friends University musical celebrates those in jobs that keep the country running

For his first musical at Friends University, Sheldon Mba wanted something that could be staged with the coronavirus pandemic in mind.

“When I got in in August, it took us a while to figure out what kind of show we could do,” said Mba, who joined the Friends faculty as assistant professor of music theater and dance. “Amidst the pandemic, and what type of show could be the best for everybody.”

It needed to be something where cast members could spread out on stage, where casts could be adjusted for quarantine, and a musical that is inspirational through this uncertain time.

“There’s a lot of shows out there, but nothing else about how we go for our dreams and our goals and aspirations that could work during a pandemic in situations that are less than ideal,” Mba said.

He found it in “Working,” based on author Studs Terkel’s 1974 book on how people view their professions. A 1978 musical version of the book landed on Broadway for a short time in 1978, with music by composers including Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell,” “Wicked”) and James Taylor. A revised version in the late ‘00s included additional music by composers including Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”).

Mba saw characters such a waitress, a nurse and a delivery person and made onstage concessions to their jobs in a COVID world.

“Let’s see how we can bring that kind of act of living on stage,” said Mba, a native of Durham, North Carolina, who received his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University and his master’s from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Many members of the 23-student cast play third-graders in a scene where a teacher sings the song “Nobody Tells Me How,” which Mba said is especially pertinent these days for educators.

“So much is changing, and we’re being asked to adapt so much, yet no one has given us a set list of things to follow,” he said.

Cast members will be wearing masks, he said, and remove them for their lines.

Written mostly as a series of monologues based on Terkel’s interviews, Mba said he and the cast members have been working to “make the story as cohesive as possible.”

“We know it’s a series of interviews, but how do we not make it interview-like? How do we take this interview-like text and treat it as if we were taking a snippet out of somebody’s life?” he asked.

With COVID restricting audience size at Sebits Auditorium, performances were recorded last week to be shown in a livestream four times this week.

Two cameras will record the production as it happens.

“It won’t be like a stop-and-go or anything like that,” Mba said. “What people will see will be like the final productions.”

‘WORKING’

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 4-6; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7

Where: Tickets are available online at www.showtix4u.com/event-details/45522.

Tickets: The performance is free, but donations are encouraged. For more information, call 316-295-5677 or email finearts@friends.edu