No. 32. “If I Could’ve Been”
WORKING (1978). With songs by multiple authors. “If I Could’ve Been” by Micki Grant (music and lyrics). Book by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, from WORKING: PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY DO ALL DAY AN
Late May, 1978. You’re one of the few people on this green earth to see a Broadway performance of Working, a new musical with a book and direction by Stephen Schwartz and a score divvied up by Schwartz and a diverse team of other composers and lyricists (Michele Brourman, Susan Birkenhead, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary Rodgers, and James Taylor). You see a parade a working stiffs—truckers, housewives, a teacher, a mason, a millworker, migrant farm workers, even an escort (Patti LuPone in a non-signing role). They talk (or sing) to you about their jobs in monologues taken from a book by oral historian Studs Terkel, and the matter-of-fact descriptions of their daily labor often lead to insights about their life, dreams, and place in the world. Although transitions connect one song/monologue to the next, the people you meet mostly take turns sharing their stories and don’t really interact with each other. However, the first act ends with a moving ensemble number in which everyone reflects on unfulfilled potential and dreams deferred (“If I Could’ve Been”). You go into intermission thinking, “If the rest of the show is as good as that number, we have a hit.” It’s not, and Working closes three weeks after it opens.
Stephen Schwartz had three smash hits in New York under his belt when he conceived of Working. Unlike these other hits, Schwartz would maintain full control over this production, serving as director and co-librettist, in addition to some songwriting duties. But Schwartz did not compose the entire score himself, instead bringing on a number of collaborators with different styles and backgrounds to flesh out the diverse cast of characters that appear in Studs Terkel’s book. Trailblazing composer and actress Micki Grant wrote some of Working’s most memorable songs, including the moving first-act finale, “If I Could’ve Been”. With 1972’s Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, Grant made history as the first woman to write book, music, and lyrics for—and star in—a Broadway musical (a feat that wouldn’t be replicated for over 50 years). …Cope ran for over two years, and its cast recording won a Grammy, making Grant, the first female composer AND the first black composer to be so honored. A follow-up, Your Arm’s Too Short to Box with God, ran for over a year. And yet Grant is best known today for her (stellar) contributions to Working, a 24-performance flop instead of her hits. The cast recordings of …Cope and …Box with God never made the transition to CD or digital formats, and those topical revues have proven difficult to revive. Fortunately, Working continues to generate interest and productions, introducing Grant’s work to new generations.
Recommended Recording: ”If I Could’ve Been,” Working: a new musical (1978 Original Broadway Cast)
Lynne Thigpen—whom gumshoes of a certain age will recognize as the Chief from Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?—leads off as the primary soloist, supported by a killer vocal arrangement for the ensemble. It’s a perfect track.
Alternate Performances
Working has received five cast recordings, all of which reflect a slightly different version of the show.
1982 TV Cast - Working was adapted for an episode of PBS’s American Playhouse. It’s a new production, rather than a taping of the original staging, featuring Studs Terkel as himself “interviewing” the various subjects. It’s a very literal presentation that even further separates the different characters from each other instead of creating an ensemble. But Thigpen gets to sing “If I Could’ve Been.” Other performers include James Taylor (singing his own trucker song), Rita Moreno, and Patti LaBelle.
2000 LATW Cast - L.A. TheaterWorks is a company that presents audio versions of great plays. In 2000 they recorded Working, one of their few musicals. Scott Schwartz (Stephen’s son) directs this recording that features the all of the monologues and scenes, in addition to the songs. The recording also captures a few revisions, like a new song for a grocery store cashier, that were at one time part of the standard licensed edition. The show would get one further renovation, making this edition of the show somewhat obsolete. But it’s a great performance, and Working translates well to a radio-type presentation. And Bat Boy fans will be pleased to know Kaitlin Hopkins sings “Millwork.”
2017 London Cast - Director Gordon Greenberg began working on a revised Working in 2008. Schwartz aided in the fresh look, which got two new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, a few regional productions, and a 2012 off-Broadway presentation with the fantastic Prospect Musicals. This edition of the show, which is now the standard licenses version—got recorded following a limited run in London.
Is it Covered by The Rat Pack, Audra McDonald, or Glee?
Neither The Rat Pack, nor Audra McDonald, nor Glee covered “If I Could’ve Been,” which is a missed opportunity for all (especially me).
In the Wings
I’ll get song No. 33 and maybe even No. 34 out before 2026, but as Lorenz Hart would write, who knows where or when?Until then, I recommend looking into Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard Rodgers), Craig Carnelia, and Susan Birkenhead, three other under-appreciated writers who made great contributions to Working. (James Taylor also wrote great stuff for the show, but I think he’s been adequately lauded.)
