Muscatine’s New Era Dinner Theater's "Working" -- October 10 through 12.
Jenni Colbert, a 2002 Davenport Central alum, was born to play her part in the new October 10 through 12 production by Muscatine's New Era Dinner Theater.
She is the waitress in the revival version of Working, a show about many different occupations based on the landmark 1974 Studs Terkel book whose full title is Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. The 1978 Broadway musical, New Era's 30th production to date, was nominated for six Tony Awards, and for its 2012 revival, was updated for a more modern age with two songs (“Delivery” and “A Very Good Day”) by Hamilton and In the Heights Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda.
In real life, Colbert (who lives in Muscatine with her husband and 18-year-old daughter) is a waitress at Missipi Brewing Company and has performed in most New Era shows since 2003.
“I got typecast,” she said recently of Working, which boasts songs by Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, Craig Carnelia, and Micki Grant. Colbert’s standout song, “It’s an Art,” was penned by Schwartz, whose credits include Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, and Children of Eden.
Being a server at a bar/restaurant, Colbert said, is also acting. “It’s a different performance. If you’re having a bad day, you still have to be up [for it].”
Having also worked with Eldridge's Countryside Community theater in Sister Act this past summer, Colbert's highlights with New Era – its shows performed at the Lutheran church of the same name, next to Wildcat Den State Park – include playing Fiona in Shrek, Sarah Brown in Guys & Dolls, Eve in Children of Eden, and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors.
“We have a really good mix of people,” said Colbert of the New Era participants. “It’s got a fun, family quality. It’s very traditional community theater.”
In many ways, the Muscatine troupe is literally family, as Working's director is Bill Turner (his 24th directing gig at the church), and his son Adam appeared in his first New Era show – and the company’s second – in 1995. Since then, the 2000 Muscatine High alum has been in more shows than any other actor.
Bill played the son of God in 1995's Cotton Patch Gospel and made his Quad City Music Guild debut last year as Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof. His son Adam’s New Era credits include the title role in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Seymour in Little Shop, Father in Children of Eden, and Jesus in Godspell.
Adam and his wife have a three-year-old daughter and another baby due in November, and he has not acted in Quad City theaters, saying, “I stay a medium-sized fish in a very small pond.” He has, however, performed in 24 shows overall, and played trombone in the pit bands for Guys & Dolls and Cinderella.
Bill, meanwhile, is retired from Bandag in Muscatine, and said of his stage experiences, “Directing is very rewarding, but you’re a juggler. You’ve got so many different things to worry about. But when you’re a director, you don’t have to memorize anything. [And] I’ve done it enough now that I kind of know what I’m doing.” He added that Working was an easier show to put together than many, given that it’s composed solely of monologues and songs.
In New Era's latest presentation, Adam plays a construction worker (for whom “The Mason” is sung) and performs the emotional Stephen Schwartz number “Fathers and Sons.” Adam said the song “has a very ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ vibe” and is a fitting choice for him, considering that he, too, is a parent. (This father, though, doesn't yet know if he and his wife are having a son.)
In 2022, Adam played the pastor in New Era’s Church Basement Ladies, its first show post-COVID. In the years before 2020, the dinner theater's annual presentations were traditionally held in May, because the church hosted a long-running bazaar and dinner in the fall. After COVID, however, the company discontinued those events and moved the yearly musical to October. In 2023, the musical was Godspell, and in 2024, it was Cinderella. New Era also recently hosted a movie filmed in the church last year: Death by Fruitcake, written and directed by Muscatine’s Max Allan Collins.
“It was about a murder that took place during a community-theater production, so there were scenes that were shot on stage and downstairs,” Bill said, noting that it was filmed over two weeks during of Cinderella rehearsals.
The biggest cast they’ve had at New Era numbered 35 for Fiddler on the Roof in 2007 – back when the organization ran five performances over two weekends – and all of those Fiddler shows sold out. (The theater can seat 150.) Now, however, performances are one-weekend only.
Nera Era's original church building was constructed in 1892; the theater building (originally a separate venue) was built in 1911; in 1928, a stage and basement were added; in 1960, the church basement was added; and in 2001, another building (with dining hall and offices) was erected to connect the two spaces.
The dinner theater dates from 1994, when Pastor Roy Rogers presented a production of Godspell, and its success started the annual tradition that continues today. Ticket proceeds, this year, will go to World Central Kitchen and Lutheran Social Services.
Reflecting the lives of many American workers, Working, as the New Era synopsis states, “paints a vivid portrait of the people the world often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the waitress, the millworker, the mason, and the housewife, just to name a few. The show’s strengths are in the core truths that transcend specific professions; the key is the way people relate to their work, ultimately expressing essential aspects of their humanity and revealing timeless truths.”
With Working's musical direction by Sheryl Ringen, the New Era cast includes: Brooklynn Ash; Nicky Bibik; Pat Burr; Jordyn Carias; Courtney Cooper; C J Gibson; Allyson Giovanazzi; Mo Kasim; Nathan Paulsen; and Savannah Skidmore.
Working will be presented on Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11, with dinner served at 6 p.m. and the show starting at 7 p.m. On Sunday, October 12, the show-only performance will start at 2 p.m. Tickets for the meal and show are $30 for adults and $20 for children through age 10, with prices $10-15 for Sunday's show-only performance, and reservations are available by calling Joan Dietrich at (563)299-4710 or Nancy Henke at (563)263-0881.
The New Era Community Building is located at 3455 New Era Road, Muscatine IA, and more information is available by visiting NewEraLutheran.com/media.
