by Tony Annicone
GAMM’s second show of their 34th season is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Gloria”, an alarming and bitingly funny drama by one of the most celebrated young playwrights in American theater. Jacobs-Jenkins’ scathing satire of the media and the public’s hunger for sensational news stories was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. He “has established himself as one of the country’s most original and unsettling dramatists, said the New York Times. The cast of six performers play multiple roles as over-caffeinated, hyper-ambitious, backstabbing interns and assistants, and self-interested editors in the hierarchy of a Manhattan magazine. This comic drama follows this ruthless group of assistants vying for their bosses jobs and a book deal before they turn 30. When a mundane day turns into anything but, the stakes for who will get to tell their story becomes higher than ever. Director Rachel Walshe casts these roles splendidly and obtains nuanced performances from her talented cast. What a way for Gamm Theatre to continue a successful season in their brand new home!
Jacobs-Jenkins draws on his experience as a writer for the New Yorker in creating this play. Editorial assistants Dean, Ani and Kendra think they all deserve a break and yearn to be the first one to get it. They keep biding their time while they deal with Miles, a lowly intern who brings them snacks, Lorin, a fussy fact checker who gets on their nerves and Gloria, the outcast who works in another department. Things start off in a lighthearted and comic manner with Dean being hung over after a party at Gloria’s that he was the only one of them there. Ani is funny and bubbly while Kendra is haughty and snooty. However the lightness vanishes for a while when this horrific act occurs at the end of Act 1, as the witness to it and others concoct their own versions of the story. Which one is true or are any of them true? Do they put sensationalism above reporting events accurately or not? This show makes us sit up and think about contemporary situations confronting us in the country and how we should deal with them. The main thing missing is humanity, as man’s inhumanity to man comes through in this tale. It also shows how a simple gesture of kindness could help defuse a tense and uncomfortable situation.
Rachel gives each member of her talented cast their moment to shine in this terrific show. Jeff Church plays Dean, who wants to write a great book before he turns 30. Jeff portrays him one way as a heavy drinking carefree man in Act 1 who then turns on a dime in Act 2 to show the tortured creature he has become. He delivers a multifaceted performance in this role. Jeff also has a comic turn as an I.T. man in Act 2. Jordan Clark is gangbusters as the bitchy, Kendra who runs roughshod over her workmates. She is very funny as Kendra but also displays a dramatic turn in Act 2 when she becomes sympathetic before throwing out a challenge to someone trying to impede her impending book. Jordan also plays an enthusiastic TV executive who doesn’t want to face the truth about the tragedy that happened. Alison Russo portrays Ani, who is warm and funny as well as Sasha, who is cold, calculating and aloof. Her third character is Callie, who works in TV in LA and is ditzy but unwittingly helps solve a problem with one of the books about the tragic incident in Act 1.
Jennifer Mischley plays Gloria, the outcast who has thrown a housewarming party and is shunned by her fellow workers. She displays great depth as this tortured creature. Jennifer also plays the cold as ice editor Nan who takes credit for pretending to treat her employees with warmth and caring. However she can never seem to remember their names. Marc Pierre plays the put upon intern, Miles in Act 1 while in Act 2 he plays Starbucks employee Shawn, who intervenes when someone’s face is slapped as well as playing TV executive Rashaad who wants to exploit a tragic situation by turning it into a TV show. Last but not least is Gabriel Graetz as Lorin, the put upon fact finder who is mistreated by his fellow employees but is the one who eventually realizes that by being nice to someone might avert a disaster. Treat others as you would have them treat you. The show also displays the craving for the media to use personal tragedies to win ratings. So for a show that will make you laugh as well as ponder some serious issues facing all of us, be sure to catch “Gloria” at GAMM to witness sensational performances by talented actors and actresses that will keep you riveted to your seats to watch their expertise on stage. The incredible real life looking office set by Jess Hill adds another dimension to this fine production.
GLORIA (21 November to 16 December)
GAMM Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Blvd, Warwick, RI
