All photos by T. Charles Erickson
Did you know that in corporate-land
people often feel they are working in a pressure cooker, are beset by
unreasonable bosses, find release via drugs, alcohol and office romances, often
get fired because the company is down-sizing and, worst of all, choke when they
have to make presentations? Yes, it’s all true. Old news? Well, not for Heidi
Schreck, an actress and playwright whose new play, “The Consultant,” is having
its premiere at Long Wharf Theatre. Apparently, Ms. Schreck, as the press
release relates, once was hired to help an executive at a pharmaceutical
marketing company hone his somewhat lamentable presentation skills. It was
apparently a traumatic experience and led, years later, to her penning “The Consultant.”
There’s a lost of grist here – corporate chicanery; Big-Pharma machinations;
Machiavellian office politics -- but unfortunately not much of it gets milled.
A
capable cast under the steady direction of Kip Fagan does its best to make this
light-as-air piece relevant and riveting, but it is a daunting task. Yes, there
are dashed hopes and dreams, but there’s no Willy Loman to make you ache for
the man who tragically buys into the American Dream. Yes, there is office
politics, but no blood flows, as it does in “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
Clare Barron
The
problems begin with our consultant, Amelia (a truly engaging Clare Barron), for
as written she is not some high-powered, take-no-prisoners, “You-Can-Do-It”
guru, but rather a grad student at NYU who thought she was signing up to help
an executive, supposedly a Korean immigrant, with his English. The executive,
Jun Suk (Nelson Lee) is neither an immigrant nor lacking in proficiency in the
English language – he just chokes when having to make a presentation. Amelia is
clueless about how to help him. There’s a huge industry thriving on the concept
of envisioning your audience sitting in its underwear – but that isn’t dealt
with. All the “How-ya-doin’?” hucksters and snake oil purveyors get a pass.
Then
there’s Big Pharma, rife for pillorying. Again, there’s a free pass. About the
only reference to pharmaceuticals is discussion of an ad campaign Jun Suk has
created, using a picture of himself in an ad for an anti-depressant. That’s as
far as it goes.
Then
there’s office romance, as acted out by the much harried receptionist Tania
(Cassie Beck) and an executive, Mark (Darren Goldstein). It amounts to a lot of
talk, a fear of pregnancy and…well, that’s about it, and as for office
politics, Barbara (Lynne McCollough), a former employee, makes an appearance
and threatens to dish some dirt to a client.
Lynne McCoullough
In
essence, not much happens of interest during the 90 minutes of “The
Consultant,” and what does has been dealt with in more depth and greater
acerbity on both the stage and television.
There’s
a coda, of sorts, which takes place in a hospital room where Suk is
recuperating from alcohol poisoning (from champagne, no less!). He is visited
by Amelia and Tania, who discuss how flowers should be arranged (it’ a bonding
moment) and then suggest, in so many words, that it’s always darkest before the
dawn and when a door closes a…well, you get the picture.
The
past seven or eight years have been tumultuous, as is outlined in the show’s
program: recession, the housing bubble, brokerage firms collapsing, the Dow
dropping to under 7,000, home foreclosures. One would think out of all this chaos
and catastrophe a play dealing with these times might have some fire to it,
just a bit of outrage, some humor that cuts to the bone. Alas, such is not the
case. “The Consultant” has the feel of a sitcom written long before the bubble,
or bubbles, burst.
Advice
to Ms. Schreck -- re-read your Dylan Thomas: “Rage, rage against the dying of
the light.”
“The Consultant” runs through Feb. 9. For tickets or more information call 203-787-4282 or go to www.longwharf.org.
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