SPOILER ALERT.
The lights go up, and we are immediately in the action. Jane (Sydney Lemmon), a millennial professional at an “Unnamed Silicon Valley-Type Corporation With a Campus” (wink wink), has a gun aimed directly at Loyd (Peter Friedman), a therapist tasked to evaluate Jane after a recent breakdown at said company. The next 80 minutes are tense, if a bit ridiculous, but the ending sticks the landing so effectively you can bypass the gimmick and understand why she would even have the gun out in the first place.
A lot of the play’s effectiveness relies on the actors. Friedman’s Loyd, in particular. His reaction to Jane having a gun on him has to be believable. If not, the play would feel hollow. As we get to know him more, his calm attitude makes more sense and we are given more evidence to believe this might have been the correct course of action to take instead of immediately calling the police. These are the types of patients he requests, so of course he is going to give Jane the benefit of the doubt. Jane, on the other hand, could also easily be over-acted. Lemmon’s acting is a bit irritating at first, but then I realized it is because I, as a Millennial, have met a Jane before. Someone who puts the weight of the world on her shoulder, acts like a victim at times but also moves along through humor. A tough tightrope to play on, but Lemmon is pretty incredible in the role.
A “trade” of having the play be only 80 minutes is there is so much to discuss and sometimes it feels like the topics are only brushed over. Professional burn out at tech companies in the 21st Century, the constant generational conversation between young people and old, just to name a couple. It felt refreshing to hear similar conversations I have had with myself over the past couple of years. I wish it was given a bit more fleshing out. The only thing is I am not sure how it could have been fleshed out more with the given narrative structure. Maybe it is a good thing I wanted more? I will keep thinking about that.
The play turns into horror approaching the final minutes. We are left wondering what is real and what is in Jane’s head. I am not sure how some will react to it, but I loved it. It felt like a Black Mirror episode playing out in the flesh. I will just leave it at that, considering finding out the twist is part of the fun. It rounds out a thought-provoking, well-acted and even a bit obscure night out on Broadway. JOB is a great example as to why going to see straight plays can be even more fulfilling than seeing a musical. Broadway seems to be laying out the red carpet for a lot more of these types of plays in the near future. Bring it on!
Bottom Line: 4/5
More Information:
80 minutes with NO Intermission and NO Late Entry/Re-Entry. Playing at the Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W 44th St NYC until 10/27/24.
Really Tall Guy 