Written by orange• February 2, 2025• 1:57 am• Review, Theater, UCI, Uncategorized

Claire Trevor School of the Arts Presents: Gloria @ UCI – Review

Credit: Courtesy of UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts, ©UC Regents, photo by Jeanine Hill

Written by Patrick Chavis

Gloria is playing now at the Robert Cohen Theatre from Jan 31 – Feb 8, 2025.

Witty, forthright, and timely as ever, Gloria says the quiet parts out loud about generational angst and the publishing industry. Director Andrew Borba’s rendition is detailed and consistent in storytelling, but some performances are shaky or one-dimensional at best.

This is a tough one, and I’ll do my best not to reveal too many spoilers in my review. In Gloria, a traumatic event at a famous publishing company in New York changes the lives of everyone in the office, even those who weren’t in the office when it happened. The play chronicles a few years later and even further into the future.

Credit: Courtesy of UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts, ©UC Regents, photo by Jeanine Hill

Story:

I was seated up front. However, due to how this theater is set up, even in the back, everyone has an appropriately intimate view of the stage. If you are as fascinated by design as I am and close enough, you can see what’s on the characters’ desks. Each desk was like a mini altar, representing their personalities somehow.

Getting that first act right and introducing the characters in a way that makes us care and feel invested in the characters without it feeling forced and inorganic can be incredibly challenging. Luckily, the first act of this play is so witty and funny, and you get to know these characters through their arguments and the banter, kind of like an Aaron Sorkin style of dialogue but a tad more modern. While the pacing was quite good, some of the performances (especially in the first act) come off one note; I would argue that possibly the most crucial notes are accomplished across the board. The difference between a good performance and a great one is in the details. There were some great performances in this piece.

Credit: Courtesy of UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts, ©UC Regents, photo by Jeanine Hill

Acting:

Everyone except for Lorin (Alonso Melgoza) plays two or three different roles. Anna Marjorie Fitzgerald plays both Gloria, the play’s title character, and Nan, a senior editor who plays a bigger part in the play’s second act. Fitzgerald’s performance as Nan is something to see. Fitzgerald does a great job of expressing the character’s indifference to the situation while having no issue cashing in on the experience. One of the messages communicated throughout the play, and Fitzgerald delivers.

I don’t know Drew Downs in real life, but after that performance, I definitely know Dean and Devin. Down’s plays both roles with good nuance and makes each moment memorable.