The corporate world and its dehumanizing treatment of employees and customers alike are the targets of Jennifer Ostrega's witty satire. The one-woman show (with additional material from Sara Jacobs) consists of a series of skits in which Ostrega plays many characters. The standout is the consultant -- a Southern-accented "branding specialist" -- who is giving a pep talk to workers only to turn around on a dime and "rightsize" (as in lay off) them for the good of the company. Ostrega captures the combination of talk-show-host "golly gee" ersatz friendliness and the would-be super-efficiency expressed in the corporate gobbledygook that marks this type.

Among the other characters are, of course, the standard ludicrous voicemail loop (which in this case openly states that the company exists to meet its own needs); an employee who completely ignores the endlessly ringing phone; a nervous, nerdy assistant dragged onstage by the cheery consultant; the consultant's little girl, who is left alone in some isolated "day care" corner of the corporate headquarters on "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" while her mother is off cheering on the soon-to-be-dismissed; and a yoga instructor helping employees relax before the security personnel take back their IDs and escort them out of the building.

Ostrega must have "done time" in a corporate setting somewhere, or else have spoken extensively with others who have, as she's got the tone and the inherent contradictions exactly right. Her quick costume changes were slight -- tucking in a blouse to look "neater" and more authoritative, putting on a pair of glasses, pulling her hair back -- but effective in making the many character switches work. Michael Schiralli's directing was excellent.

"Tower of Babble" is entertaining, clever, and hits the mark it aims for.