A blistering satire of office politics and our exploitative, media-saturated age that has enthralled and shocked audiences around the US, Melbourne Theatre Company presents the Australian premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist, Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at the Southbank Theatre.
Editorial assistant Dean stumbles into work, hungover from a party at the home of the ‘office freak’ Gloria. As his ambitious group of 20-something co-workers squabble, complain and generally avoid work, it’s just another day at the office of a fancy Manhattan magazine. Until suddenly it’s not. Strap yourself in for the breathtaking new play that will have everyone talking.
Directed by Lee Lewis (Hay Fever, Rupert), Gloria features a favourite of stage and screen, Lisa McCune (Cabaret) like you’ve never seen her before, with Callan Colley (Three Sisters), Jordan Fraser-Trumble (HIR, The Legend of Ben Hall), Jane Harber (Offspring), Aileen Huynh (Cleverman) and Peter Paltos (Minnie & Liraz).
“Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is one of the smartest playwrights in America today,” says Lewis. “His understanding of the deep awfulness in American society is heartbreaking because it is tempered with a genuine hopefulness for humanity.”
“His writing is brave, funny, and literate; his big philosophies are embedded so deeply that you don’t hear a playwright’s voice, you hear his characters as alive flawed people. You can sense that he believes in the power of theatre to change the world for the better, and his skill is such that he makes us believe too.”
Gloria was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, adding to Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ long list of honours including the MacArthur Fellowship, Benjamin Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts, and the Steinberg Playwriting Award.
His other plays include Appropriate and An Octoroon (both Obie Award-winners for Best New American Play). He is a graduate of Princeton University, New York University and The Juilliard School. He worked in the fiction department at The New Yorker magazine for almost three years.
“The bitingly funny and fierce Gloria is one of the year’s best shows. – New York Post
Director: Lee Lewis Featuring: Callan Colley, Jordan Fraser-Trumble, Jane Harber, Aileen Huynh, Lisa McCune, Peter Paltos Set & Costume Designer: Christina Smith Lighting Designer: Paul Jackson Composer & Sound Designer: Russell Goldsmith Voice & Dialect Coach: Anna McCrossin-Owen
Gloria
The Sumner – Southbank Theatre, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Season continues to 21 July 2018
Information and Bookings: www.mtc.com.au
Image: Aileen Huynh, Lisa McCune and Callan Colley feature in Gloria (supplied)