"Working," presented by Thousand Oaks High School Department of Theatre and Music, is a musical that pays tribute to employed Americans from many walks of life. The show, which made its debut in 1978, is based on Studs Terkel's acclaimed book in which he interviewed American workers—teachers, truckers, waitresses and firefighters—who spoke about the trials and tribulations of their chosen occupations.

An unusual musical on many levels, "Working" has no real story. It is a succession of vignettes, each woven into the next by ingeniously integrating the characters from scene to scene. The music and lyrics were written by a consortium of six writers: Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked"), James Taylor, Susan Birkenhead, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant and Mary Rodgers.

Another unusual aspect of the show is that the spoken dialogue was taken directly from Terkel's interviews. The result alternates between funny and moving, featuring many standout performances from director Joseph Donia's talented cast.

Schwartz and Nina Faso were responsible for adapting Terkel's book. In staging it, Donia utilized a sparse set consisting of a network of interconnected wooden platforms, stairways and ladders to accommodate the varied occupations. The more than two dozen soloists all performed well, but several stood out.

Most of the best moments in "Working" are the ones that feature occupations that are less than glamorous.

One of those focuses on parking lot attendant Al Callinda, amiably played by Ben Brooks, who sings Micki Grant's swing-inspired "Lovin' Al" about the wizard of the parking lot.

A poignant segment features Kristie Bailey, most effective as third-grade teacher Rose Hoffman. A 60-ish school marm, Rose has been teaching since 1959 and feels out of place in the modern world.

With her frumpy dress, grayed hair and glasses perched on her nose, Bailey affected an older woman's voice in her totally believable performance. Her song, "Nobody Tells Me How," was written by Mary Rodgers, the daughter of legendary Broadway composer Richard Rodgers.

The drudgery of migrant workers is depicted in a scene featuring Alejandra Valdovinos, who sang the beautiful lament, "Un Mejor Dia Vendra," written by James Taylor.

A different kind of drudgery belongs to that of the millworker. As Natasha Buran recited the words spoken by Terkel's true-life subject, Jackie Claunch showed off one of best voices in the cast as she sang Taylor's "Millwork."

Not all the jobs depicted in "Working" are unrewarding. Alex Johnson was exemplary singing Craig Carnelia's "The Mason": "He builds a house/With his hands/A hundred years go by/It stands."

Carnelia's plaintive and beautiful songwriting was also represented by "Just a Housewife," a moving song about an occupation that pays nothing and gets little credit. Kate Peltola played the harried "domestic engineer" who wearily sings, "All I am is someone's mother/All I am is someone's wife/ All of which seems unimportant/All it is is/Just my life."

Other Broadway shows, like "Oklahoma" and "The Music Man," display Americana in flashier, more romantic ways, but "Working" is the real deal: the lives of working Americans told in their actual words, not those of some playwright.

And like the people of "Working," the show deserves better than its relatively obscure status. It remains among the best Broadway can offer in what it means to be an American.