‘Gloria’ zings and stings young media strivers with skill, joy
Comedy/drama of manners delights at Gamm Theatre
WARWICK – Some of us remember the Age of Aquarius. Now it’s apparently the age of the narcissist.
That shift is fodder for playwright Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Gloria,” an incisive play currently getting glorious treatment at The Gamm Theatre.
A finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the play rolls satire, drama and tragedy into a very contemporary comedy of manners. It’s a clear-eyed look at the way we behave today, familiar but with an unforeseen turn of events. At the intermission break, we had no idea where Act II would go, but now know it’s a journey you do not want to miss.
“Gloria” takes place about 2010, an era affected both by the 2008 recession and the dawning of the digital age, and is set in the Manhattan offices of a prominent magazine where a trio of editorial assistants, whose ambitions outpace the job description, try to convince themselves they are just pausing on this rung of the career ladder.
The competition is brutal, as evidenced by the putdowns, back-stabbing and self-absorption that make up more of the daily routine than does actual work. This is the kind of place where an intern’s habit of getting to work on time is seen only as an effort to make the slackers look bad.
Jacobs-Jenkins has a good ear for dialogue, and these scenes are savage but hilarious, abetted by the Gamm’s actors and Rachel Walshe’s intelligent direction; she has a feel for these poor souls and keeps the performances authentic, but she also knows how to time a laugh.
The playwright, however, has deeper themes to explore, including the way we treat our fellow human beings. He is a marvelous writer, so this is never, ever preachy, but powerfully insightful. As once character says in a heartfelt monologue, “Is another human life anything but an excuse to think about ourselves?”
Is a play anything but an excuse to think about our- selves? We can’t help but do that after watching these characters and the six cast members who so artfully bring them to life. Five of the six play multiple characters, and each is as brilliant as the next. A scene where Jeff Church as Dean, one of the editorial assistants, cavorts across the stage pretending to tweet messages to make fun of his co-worker Kendra, is laugh-out-loud goofy. Later, he portrays a down and desperate Dean with total plausibility.
Kendra is played with pitch-perfect narcissism by Jordan Clark in a memorable Gamm debut, while Alison Russo is believable down to the smallest gesture in her multiple roles. Two more remarkable debuts come from Marc Pierre as Miles, the eager intern, plus two supporting roles; and Gabriel Graetz as Lorin, who gives that deeply felt monologue.
Finally, Jennifer Mischley transforms her naturally good-natured demeanor to play the downtrodden title character, Gloria, and later turns all fake and brittle as Nan, an editor a pay grade above those striving assistants; she’s convincing in both roles.
Part of Mischley’s transformation comes from costume designer’s choice of wardrobe for the dowdy Gloria and the career-woman Nan, but David T. Howard dresses all the actors in character-revealing outfits.
Jessica Hill’s set takes advantage of the space the Gamm has in its new-this- season Warwick location, creating the arid feel of the editorial office as well as a trendy Starbucks where the characters hang out. The atmosphere is further enhanced by Jeff Adelberg’s office-bright lighting, Charles Cofone’s sound design, and crucial special effects designed by Normand Beaure- gard.
“Gloria” is comedy with drama at its core. It’s entertaining, disturbing, and ultimately meaningful.