‘Job’: Millennial vs. boomer in dark thriller

‘JOB’: Peter Friedman & Sydney Lemmon. Photo: Emilio Madrid.

JOB
A new play by Max Wolf Friedlich
Directed by Michael Herwitz
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
https://jobtheplay.com/

By Scott Harrah

Job—the psychological two-character thriller that was a hit last year at the SoHo Playhouse—has arrived on Broadway and is hardly light summertime fare. Max Wolf Friedlich’s is intense from the very first scene, when we see Jane (Sydney Lemmon), a young tech executive, pointing a gun at her therapist Loyd (Peter Friedman) in his downtown San Francisco office.

Mr. Wolf Friedlich’s tale is not your typical patient-therapist drama. Jane is not seeing a therapist by choice. After a mental breakdown, and a viral video of her losing it at a renowned Bay Area tech company (possibly Google? Or Meta?—the name is never mentioned), she must get Loyd’s approval before she can return to her job. She is an ambitious but deeply disturbed millennial with disdain for the older generation. “Boomers spend their time being mad that 16-year-old girls are using filters on Instagram to feel prettier,” she says. “Like why’re you offended that we feel insecure? We’re protecting ourselves from the thoughts your shampoo commercials made us think!”

Loyd is an old Berkeley hippie, the epitome of the “boomer” stereotype. However, Mr. Friedman (best known for his role on HBO’s “Succession”) is outstanding portraying Loyd as a vulnerable and caring therapist, frustrated by Jane and her manic anger.

Ms. Lemmon portrays Jane as the unlikable character she is. Jane is a content moderator, overseeing and censoring online videos that range from grotesque violence to sickening child porn. Ms. Lemmon consistently gives Jane a sense of nervous rage, and one cringes wondering what she might do next.

Cody Spencer’s jarring sound design includes audio of porn and drilling noises, coupled with eerie lighting by Mextly Cousins, creating an ambience of horror that is sometimes distracting but ultimately creates a sense of discomfort that mirrors the crisp, back-and-forth rapid-fire dialogue between Jane and Loyd.

Jane is a woman on a mission to rid the world of offensive digital content, and the story has some unexpected twists toward the end. The battle between the two characters from different generations never fails to grab our attention.Director Michael Herwitz gets a brilliant sense of tension and edginess from Mr. Friedman and Ms. Lemmon. Job is a taut tale that’s full of surprises and will keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 30, 2024
Reviewed at July 26, 2024 press performance

‘JOB’: Peter Friedman & Sydney Lemmon. Photo: Emilio Madrid.