On a Thursday evening in September 2023, I approached downtown’s Soho Playhouse — a well-worn, 178-seat Off-Broadway theater — to find a line of millennials snaking down the block. At first, I thought there must be a concert for some cool, indie artist performing at the same time as the new play I was about to see. But no. These twenty- and thirtysomethings were queued to see the premiere of Max Wolf Friedlich’s dark thriller “Job.” At the time, I was surprised that this play, which many of my industry colleagues had not yet heard of, had attracted a full crowd of people around my age, when fellow theatergoers tend to be a bit older — or at least a mix of ages.
“I am really interested in making things that are commercial,” said Friedlich, who made his Broadway debut when “Job” began performances at the Hayes Theatre on July 15. “The artistic merit of something and its commercial value are not separate entities.”
“The thing that is most exciting to me creatively is making something that resonates,” he continued. “And I think the word ‘commercial’ is often connotated with ‘boring’ or ‘watered down.’ What I endeavor to do as a theatermaker is change what the perception of being commercial can be.” In the case of “Job,” “It can be an 80-minute two-person play about very dark themes and big tech.”
So far, Friedlich has shown just that with his new play, which sold out its initial Soho Playhouse run and two extensions before transferring to Off-Broadway’s Connelly Theatre for a commercial production, which also extended. (Both mountings recouped their investments.) The Off-Broadway run earned raves from New York magazine and the Wall Street Journal and was named a Critic’s Pick by the New York Times, prompting a Broadway transfer. The Broadway mounting has since been extended through Oct. 27.
And while its weekly grosses may seem low relative to other shows trodding the boards, a spokesperson for the production noted, “‘Job’ has an intentionally lean budget and sales have met operating cost needs, allowing the producers to extend the show so that even more people can experience it.”
During its first seven weeks on the Main Stem, “Job” has filled the house to an average 86.6 percent capacity. Its average paid admission for the same period is $72.70. But, according to the spokesperson, 25 percent of that audience are millennials or Gen Z.
Beginning with its Off-Broadway run, the production has executed a concerted effort to reach this demographic, particularly within its artwork and messaging.
“The goal was always to have [our show art] feel very different to a traditional [campaign],” said one of the play’s lead producers, Hannah Getts. “I think we approached it as [appealing to] younger, savvier, more internet-driven people.”
