I DON’T FEEL YOUR PAIN
Corporate life—or working in an office—has a very specific subculture that goes along with it. Sharing confined spaces with others in a 9-to-5 structure can be chaotic, or at least confusing, especially now, post-COVID. People are having to readjust to “playing well with others” all over again. The Bay Area’s tech culture in the new millennium is known for its “Bro” mentality, where in mostly male-dominated workspaces, etiquette, manners, and respect for others have seemingly gone out the window.
Sam Jackson and Atosa Babaoff
Most companies now have an HR (human resources) department where bad behavior or harassment is reported. Seminars on workplace etiquette have become part of the new normal. With mistakes, faux pas, and people not quite aware of being politically correct, misunderstanding can sometimes seem almost humorous—and certainly ripe for satire.
All of this brings us to Do You Feel Anger? Mara Nelson-Greenberg‘s 2019 so-called comedy at Marin Theatre takes the bull by the horns and attempts to tackle the topic of teaching empathy in the workplace. Sofia (Sam Jackson), an empathy coach, is hired as a consultant to work with a debt collection agency where the work culture is far from professional. She first meets Eva (Linda Maria Girón), a somewhat flighty woman who talks non-stop—seemingly unfiltered—while casually referencing being assaulted by an anonymous colleague.
Joseph Patrick O'Malley, Phil Wong, Max Forman-Mullin and Sam Jackson
Jon (Joseph Patrick O’Malley), the somewhat clueless office manager, is aware of problems in the office but seems to be contributing to them by making crude comments about people’s appearances. (Think Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, on the sitcom The Office.)
The two male employees, Jordan (Phil Wong) and Howie (Max Forman-Mullin), may as well be called “Dumb and Dumber.” They make frat boys seem sophisticated, using horribly out-of-date clichés in their banter. They chuckle to themselves, using phrases such as being “super horn,” talking about their “piss chart,” and making endless jokes about the word “clitoris.” And it goes downhill from there.
Phil Wong, Max Forman-Mullin and (back) Sam Jackson
Within the first few minutes of the show, there’s nervous laughter in the audience as we try to figure out the tone. Is this, in fact, a mockumentary like The Office? I ask director Becca Wolf—the characters play their roles straight; should we be laughing or grimacing at the juvenile humor?
By the time Jordan and Howie appear on stage, it’s all just cringeworthy and embarrassing. It’s like watching a bad Saturday Night Live skit that seemingly goes on and on. The humor definitely caters to the lowest common denominator—and it never improves.
Phil Wong, Linda Maria Girón, Max Forman-Mullin and Sam Jackson
This effort is a big swing and a miss. Unfortunately, it’s also sad. Office culture is a subject ripe for satire and spoofing. We all work with—and know—some of these tropes that these characters exhibit. But the way they’re so broadly written makes one think it was all thought up by thirteen-year-old boys hyped up on energy drinks.
A note to the playwright: There’s nothing funny about a woman reporting being repeatedly assaulted at work!
I definitely “felt anger” at having to sit through this.
photos by David Allen
Do You Feel Anger?
Marin Theatre, 397 Miller Avenue in Mill Valley
Wed-Sat at 7:30; Sat & Sun at 2
ends on June 29, 2025
for tickets ($47-$85), call 415.388.5208 or visit Marin Theatre
