(3 / 5)

Firm, A play that looks directly at the ugly side of business. Jay Thomas, finds out the hard way how manipulative some bosses can be. Even though the narrative seems a little farfetched, it still raised a number of points and an insight into the brutality of some businesses.

Joe Burke playing Jay Thomas not only lead acted in it, but he was the writer of ‘Firm’ as well. He creates a character whom only seems to want to get money, and when he does, spends it all on booze. Even though some of his words seemed lost at times; when he wasn’t facing directly towards you; he was great at talking out to the audience and going between the narrator and Jay. Steve Bennett, playing Jay’s best friend Ben, has great comedy timing and owns some adorable fluffy slippers. Ben’s character is the one I believe the audience feels most connected with, due to the realism of the character.

After seeing Isabelle Paige in Service 3: Taking Stock, the previous evening, I was excited to see what character she showcased next. Unlike the geeky character in Service 3, Isabelle plays a strong-minded business woman with one thing on her mind; making money. Even though Isabelle’s character was vicious and conniving, her character was fun to watch and had a lot of comical moments.

The main critique I have is that none of the characters in this play I liked or felt truly connected too. This was all due to all the cynicism and hate they have for each other. Even though this was the case there was some nice moments within this play that was both light hearted and fun.

One of the aspects I liked most about this performance is the way they incorporated the audience within the play.  It felt like it wasn’t just a performance but a lesson as well. The play was set in the round, with a table and two chairs in the middle. The way it was set up, looked pleasing to the eye due to the use of levels. I felt there was not a bad  seat  in the auditorium.

Overall this show was engaging and amusing to watch. In their bio it says, “if the script isn’t new, you can bet the performance will be.” This is truly was, it was definitely a new and original piece of work.

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