REVIEW: Pulitzer Prize finalist ‘Gloria’ triumphs on the small stage

Echo Theater Company’s production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Gloria” defies all expectations — what begins as a biting workplace comedy becomes a frightening examination of morality and mortality executed with stunning precision.

The play begins in the offices of an unnamed American magazine, and tensions between co-workers drive the plot from the get-go. Jacobs-Jenkins worked at The New Yorker in his 20s, and while he says the content of “Gloria” is not based on that experience, he ingeniously inserts knowledge of the day-to-day grind of content creation in the seemingly doomed print industry.

The first act features three editorial assistants and an intern working in their respective cubicles, each dissatisfied with their jobs. Miles (played by the hilarious Devere Rogers), is the first intern to arrive at work, much to the chagrin of his supervisors. Then comes Ani (Alana Dietze), followed by Dean (Michael Sturgis, a powerhouse actor and a USC graduate), who arrives late and hungover.

Last is Kendra (Jenny Soo), who snappily asks Dean, “Why do you look like you’ve raped yourself?”

Dean was one of the only people to attend their colleague Gloria’s party the night before; he was under the impression that Kendra and Ani would be there, but they were only joking. Gloria (brilliantly understudied by Nicole DuPort) is described as the “office freak,” and Dean is repeatedly chastised for attending her party.

But the topic of Gloria is pushed aside after Lorin (a manic Steven Strobel) comes in to tell the three editors that he is working on a profile of Sarah Tweed, an Alanis Morissette-type singer who died that morning.

“Why the fuck are we only interested in her now, now that she’s dead,” he complains.

Although Sarah Tweed is fictional, her death in the play represents more than a stressful deadline. But the irony of the characters’ attempts to monetize her passing is not apparent until the second act, following a graphic turn of events.

Throughout “Gloria,” Jacobs-Jenkins’ dialogue is realistically fervent and reveals his characters’ desires — most of which relate to finding another job — without appearing contrived.

“You know what ‘code’ is,” Dean says to Ani. “All I can do is read English! You can go somewhere else.”  

Their hilarious dynamic worked well with Chris Fields’ tight direction. The employees waste no time as they bicker, but somehow maintain an illusion of completing work.

Amanda Knehan’s set design is pleasingly minimalistic and contributes perfectly to the show’s obsessive themes; Dean’s cubicle features a small but glaring sign that reads, “Work fucking harder.”

Dianne Grabner’s costume design is similarly accomplished. Dean wears slightly ill-fitting orange pants, while the second act includes two perfectly-styled gray and black winter ensembles that steal one’s focus, peaking with Dietze languidly removing her oversized coat and scarf in a midtown Starbucks.

The play’s position as a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Jacobs-Jenkins’ standing as a MacArthur Fellow are not without serious warrant. “Gloria” speaks volumes and breathes new life into the Echo Theater Company production.