The actors shine in 4th Wall Teheatre Co.'s production of Gloria. 4thWallHouston
A more cynical critic would say that Brendan Jacobs-Jenkins wrote his 2015 Pulitzer finalist play,We can say it’s a story of ambition, the demise of traditional media, the soul-suck of career inertness, and our need to commodify heinous experiences. We can say it’s tremendously witty, observant, and oh so caustic. But to say much more would be to rob audiences of the shock, aftermath, and insight Jacobs-Jenkins has in store for them.
Ani is a math whiz testing out the publishing world. Dean drinks too much but has serious writing aspirations, Kendra has a sharp tongue, a shopping habit, and a tenuous five-year success plan, and Ivy League intern Miles isn’t sure what he’s going to do with his life. One regular day in an office goes awry and suddenly our gauge of appropriateness goes out the window. Pity our broken, greedy, detached, lost souls. And then pity the appetite we crave for the content created from this state.
Shunning needless flitting about, Black has his actors tied to their desks for most of the first act, swiveling in chairs to talk to each other, when necessary, but often remaining eyes forward as they spar over their shoulders with each other.It takes a director confident in the power of what a well-prepared actor can accomplish to do away with busy stage direction, and boy does Black tease the best out of each member of his cast.
However, Brandon Hearnsberger finds a way to rein in that anger and make it interesting tension instead. When he finally unloads in a stream of consciousness, Wilson keeps it cerebral rather than visceral, allowing a fuller character to unfold. Our connection with him becomes crucial in later scenes and it’s thanks to Wilson’s restraint that we remain allied with him as the play unfolds.
Suffice it to say, the early turn of events that sets off shock waves for the rest of the play feels a little lackluster. Not certain if things went awry on opening night , but Sound Designer Jon Harvey's effects didn't fully illustrate the gravity of the situation, and Black's direction was rushed, missing crucial impact.
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