Asolo Rep, Urbanite's work-related plays are worlds apart

The all-American workplace provides the inciting incidents for “Primary Trust” at Asolo Repertory Theatre and “Job” at Urbanite Theatre. Apart from that similarity, the plays are as different as matter and anti-matter. But let’s clock in.

Eboni Booth’s “Primary Trust” is a sweet story. It’s gentle, kind and loving. (Chari Arespachochaga directs it.) “Sweet story” sounds like a huge dramatic category. Nope. In the 21st century, they’re seldom told on stage and screen. What’s the closest equivalent? Frank Capra’s tales of Everyman come to mind. But they’re so 20th-century.

Booth’s play is a character study of Kenneth (Anthony Cason), a traumatized man in his late 30s. He’s a soft-spoken loner living by himself in a small town. His mother died when he was 10. He’s never been the same since.

Kenneth’s wired his life for routine. That predictability holds his solitary life together. Day after day, no surprises. He works at a used bookstore, zaps a microwave meal at home and visits a tiki bar. Once inside, he isn’t a loner. Night after night, Kenneth orders Mai Tais and talks to his best friend Burt (Kamal Bolden). Who’s charming, supportive and entirely imaginary.

That’s Kenneth’s bubble of peace. But it’s fragile — and depends on his job. When his boss retires, the bubble pops. No more bookstore, no peace. After Kenneth loses his job, his solitary life goes with it. Despite panic attacks, Kenneth (like his mother before him) gets a job as a bank teller. He’s a natural.

Kenneth’s social skills suck, but he’s good with numbers. His bank teller job requires him to cross-sell, i.e. offer checking account customers a credit card or a mortgage application. Surprisingly, he succeeds and is even honored as "Employee of the Month." 

Kenneth slowly comes out of his shell — and reluctantly joins the human race. He forms tentative bonds with non-imaginary humans like Clay (Matt DeCaro), the good-hearted bank president, and Corrina (Kayland Jordan), a tiki bar waitress who jump-starts his heart. 

These close encounters are initially awkward and funny. Kenneth’s terrified when they get too close. Is making a real friend a betrayal of his imaginary friend? That thought freaks Kenneth out. He loses it, insults a bank customer and stops going to work. But this is a sweet story. And it all turns out all right. Everything is beautiful.

A tech job that's a trigger for unresolved rage

Under Meg Gilbert’s crisp direction at Urbanite Theatre, Max Wolf Friedlich’s “Job” tells a very different story. Nothing is beautiful. Everything hurts. 

If “Primary Trust” resembles a sweet Frank Capra movie, “Job” is more like a film by William Friedkin ("The Exorcist")  in a bad mood. Don’t get me wrong — it’s a damn good play. Friedlich’s razor-sharp psychological thriller is a thrill ride from start to finish. His wild ride also begins at work.

Friedlich’s play explores the Big Tech workplace. Jane (Casey Wortmann), a twentysomething IT wizard, has a meltdown at work — and her tantrum becomes a viral video. The company puts her on leave. 

Before Jane can go back to work, a therapist must certify she won’t go nuts again. Lloyd (David Breitbarth) is her kindly boomer shrink — but his evaluation starts badly. When Jane pulls a gun on him.

Tense discussion follows — but it’s hardly therapeutic. It’s mostly an airing of Jane’s grievances. She’s got a lot of problems with boomers. And Lloyd’s going to hear about it. Thanks to Jane’s 45-automatic, he listens intently and scribbles notes. His new patient seems sleep-deprived, schizoid, paranoid, bipolar, OCD, unfiltered and unhinged.

But what’s driving Jane mad? It seems she works as a “content moderator.” (Orwellian tech-speak, I know.) Translation: She watches and flags online videos of torture and unspeakable depravity. Friedlich hints of a darker secret — but doesn’t spell it out. His play asks hard questions, but withholds easy answers. Especially to the big question …

Photo by Sorcha Augustine

What’s Jane’s beef with Lloyd? 

Jane clearly has one. She came to the session locked and loaded. She was boiling with rage — and instantly aimed it at Lloyd. Why’s she so angry at him? Does she think one of his patients created an evil video?

Does she think he did? Or does she just hate boomers? What fires Jane’s fury? Why did she bring a gun to a therapy session? What evil is she fighting?

The play’s twist-ending broadly hints at Jane’s target. But Friedlich leaves it ambiguous. “Job” isn’t a whodunit. Like Paul Verhoeven’s “Total Recall,” you don’t know what’s real or delusion.

That uncertainty isn’t a bug — it’s the play’s point. It mirrors the fallout of unproven accusations in real-world corporate and therapeutic spaces. They’re not puzzles to solve but psychological and moral dilemmas.

What evil is Jane fighting? Did this horror “really” happen?

Wrong questions.

What evils are we willing to live with? What evils should we fight?

They’re the right questions. They’ll haunt you on the long ride home. Or even at work.

“Primary Trust” and “Job” are both work-related. And vastly different.

In Booth’s play, the characters work to live, not the other way around. Working as a bank teller isn’t Kenneth’s dharma. His job allows him to have a life. It’s not his mission in life. 

In Friedlich’s play, the characters’ jobs are their missions in life. It’s what they live for — and their work can be life-saving. But they’re both lousy jobs. 

Being a “content moderator” forces Jane to watch horror shows that would make the Marquis de Sade vomit. It’s corrosive to her soul. As a therapist, Lloyd risks dealing with violent patients like Jane. One bad session could ruin his day. Or be his last day.

We’ll clock out with this final lesson …

Work can be heaven or hell in America. It all depends on the job.

Be sure to check the job description before submitting your resume.