←Recommendations of This Office is Permanently Closed

80's culture abounds in this new piece THE OFFICE IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED by Mathew Green. Complicit finance bros, women as just props for men, no matter how smart they are, and fraud... all the glorious fraud. I adore a dark comedy, and Green delivers. Could things get worse for this duo? Yes. Yes, they can get worse.

Well, that's one way to answer the Passover Question. (This is not a play about Passover.)

The more I read Matthew Green's work, the more I suspect he's pandering to me. Shamelessly!

As ever, the dialogue is breezy and natural even though the stakes are high. The characters and situations are relatable even if you're a a finance bro or whatever these dudes do. Even the less likeable one you want to have a beer with. The economy of writing is subtly dazzling... as usual.

And yet... And YET!

Standing Ovation!

Federal agents have shut down your workplace. You're likely facing time in prison because of a stool pigeon colleague. You screwed up your marriage to a wonderful woman and you fumbled an opportunity for a rebound relationship. Don't worry. It can always be worse as Matthew Green shows in this dark comedy.

Mathew Green's This Office is Permanently Closed is a fun, brief romp through 1980s corporate America, complete with a hilariously big brick cell phone. The dialogue is snappy, and as the recently laid-off employees wallow in their miseries, Green adds an entertaining pivot that reveals that things could always be worse.

Oh, very well done, Green. I have to admit I enjoyed the play from the start, but I certainly didn't know where it was going. Which made the ending even more enjoyable when it happens. Give it a read (or, better yet, a performance) and you'll see what I mean. Enjoyable dark comedy!