New York City
Firewalls takes us into the Personnel Department of a large corporation, a department in which much more time is spent on computerized jargon and technical information than on personnel. In this world, people sitting next to each other at the dinner table communicate through cell phones; couples in bed focus not on each other but on their laptops; and people send e-mails to others who are just “spitting distance” away. This comedy about communications and non-communication in the age of computers does not quite camouflage dark undertones. It suggests that when people think and speak in an artificial, abstract language, the result may be a sacrificing of human values and human priorities. Here, laughter at every point does not quite eclipse what really deserves a tear.
Performances begin: May 10, 2024