Tower of Babble
Anyone who's done time in an office knows about the inanities of corporatespeak, the subtleties of office politics, and the soul-crushing sense of cog-in-the-machine insignificance. In her one-woman show, the charming young actress-comedian Jennifer Ostrega portrays a variety of office types, from the Lily Tomlinesque customer-support drone to the hate-filled New Age counselor. Despite some sharp jokes-the human-resources director, for example, confirms that "Dress-Down Friday" is, in fact, a set-up-most of her material is pretty thin. So what's the point of this show, given that the surrealities of the working world have already been skewered everywhere from 9 to 5 to Dilbert to last season's Off Broadway show Hold Please? Clearly Tower of Babble, which at under 50 minutes would please any efficiency expert, is intended as a showcase for Ostrega's comic flexibility, which is notable. Casting agents take note. —Ada Calhoun