Review: FIASCO THEATER’S BARTLEBY at The Old Globe

There are few phrases in literature more quietly unhinged than “I would prefer not to.” And in Fiasco Theatre’s "Bartleby”, now playing at The Old Globe through March 22, that polite little sentence lands like a stick of dynamite in an otherwise well-oiled office machine.

Adapted and performed by Fiasco Theater, this wry “dramady” reimagines Herman Melville’s scrivener tale as a workplace comedy with existential side effects. Bartleby comes in to accept a job as a scrivener—the copyist who makes multiple sets of legal papers, essentially a human version of a copy machine—for a successful lawyer who specializes in wealthy mortgages, trusts, and other pursuits of law that keep him out of the courtroom but firmly in the good graces of the affluent clients who keep him in business. At first, Bartleby works quietly and efficiently. Then one day, when asked to complete a task, he calmly replies that he would prefer not to. He never says “no.” He doesn’t argue. He just… declines. Politely. Repeatedly. And thus begins the unraveling.

Leading the charge is Andy Grotelueschen as The Lawyer, and he is the show’s beating heart. Engaging, affable, and genuinely invested in being a good boss, he has a fatal flaw: his attempt to understand Bartleby. In one especially funny bit, he spirals into madness over hearing a phrase so often that it becomes the only thing he can perceive—like when you learn a new word and suddenly the universe won’t stop saying it. Grotelueschen finds both the comedy and the quiet desperation in a man who cannot compute what is happening.

As Bartleby, Michael Crane maintains an impressively serene poker face amid the mounting hijinks. The audience grows unexpectedly protective of him, even as his steadfast refusal begins to resemble self-destruction. “Rotting” may be the trendy term for doing nothing, but Bartleby takes it to a near-philosophical extreme. His calm, polite preferences turn the world upside down.

The office itself feels timeless in it's make up. Though set in another era, every workplace archetype is present: the plucky young intern, Gingersnap (Myka Cue); the contrasting coworkers, Turkey (Matt Dallal) and Nippers (Devin E. Haqq), whose opposing quirks somehow keep the machine running. until they don’t. This is an orderly, functioning system with its rhythms and rituals; Bartleby is the wrench.

Director Emily Young keeps the energy high (with the notable exception of our steadfast scrivener), and the theatre-in-the-round staging makes excellent use of Lawrence E. Moten III’s turntable set, allowing the audience to see every angle of the unraveling. The result is a sharply funny, surprisingly tender workplace comedy that leaves audiences contemplating it as they exit the theatre.

Because beneath the laughs, there’s a real ache. Is this about work-life balance? Depression? Boundaries taken too far? The delicate ecosystem between boss and employees? Caring too much—or not enough? The show doesn’t hand you an answer. It simply shrugs, smiles faintly, and says, “I prefer not to.”

Which is both very funny and very on brand.

How To Get Tickets

Fiasco Theatre’s "Bartleby” is playing at The Old Globe through March 22nd.  For ticket and showtime information, please go to www.theoldglobe.org

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