Shattered Globe Theatre: Lobby Hero Review
Elliot Esquivel as Jeff and and Emma Jo Boyden as Dawn
Shattered Globe Theatre Presents LOBBY HERO Review - Where Does Your Moral Compass Lead You?
TLDR: Jeff, a graveyard shift security guard in his late twenties doesn’t quite know his next move in life. Caught in the middle of a potential criminal case, he must decide his own moral code and what he stands for. Each actor brings their character’s moral compass to life in this one set play in the middle of an apartment lobby.
Elliot Esquivel as Jeff, Terence Sims as William, and Adam Schulmerich as Bill
What Happens While The City Sleeps
Usually the graveyard shift is pretty, well, dead and security guards have it easy. Sit behind the desk. Open the door for any late night guests. Keep the floors and windows clean. Here, in the lobby of a midtown high rise in New York, it’s a similar calm night at the start of Lobby Hero. A realistic set designed by José Manuel Díaz-Soto has us feeling like we’re looking right into an apartment lobby. It has that little bit of an outdated feel with a teal and rust colored floor pattern, marble accent walls, and a tall, rounded desk with accent lighting. Double doors lead outside to the chilly, wintery New York Streets.
Jeff, played by Elliot Esquival, mans the desk from midnight until eight. The most exciting thing that usually happens is his boss, William, played by Terence Sims, comes in to do the nightly rounds or two cops on their regular beat pass by.
However, their normal routine is shaken up when a violent crime occurs one night. Now it seems like all four are involved in some way. Suddenly, that lobby isn’t just a lobby anymore. It becomes a fishbowl where people can peer in and look at you. It becomes a cone of silence where you can’t hear what’s going outside, only see people through the window and guess what they’re saying. Though Jeff does his best to stay on the periphery, we’re all still sucked into the case and end up questioning what would we do?
Everybody’s Coming With A Different Perspective at Shattered Globe
Lobby Hero unpacks a lot of modern topics - unchecked authoritative power, sexism and discrimination, the corruption of police, and a flawed and biased criminal justice system. But as each of these characters finds themselves involved in the potential crime, their own moral compasses and ethics guide them how to deal with each of these.
Bill has been on the force for years and values loyalty above all else. He’s shortlisted for a golden shield for his years of service, but has questionable actions for a man of his position.
His new partner, Dawn, is new and still in her probationary period before she’s officially a police officer. She’s guided by her unwavering sense of right and wrong and search for justice.
William lives by the rules and runs a tight ship with all his employees. Keep the desk tidy and free from personal items and make sure everyone who enters the building is logged in the entry book.
And Jeff is still figuring things out. He’s renting a room from his brother, but hopes to get his own place soon. He admires people who have a goal or have a desire to contribute to the bigger picture. And by the end when all those conflicting viewpoints come to head, Jeff must figure out what he stands for.
The cast of Lobby Hero
Feeling The Moral Compasses Come To Life
The star of the show is by and far Jeff, played by Elliot Esquival, as he claims the stage both in his line delivery and characterizations. He’s an endless chatterbox, talking anyone’s ear off that comes into the lobby, almost to the point of annoying. But he is also endearing as he listens and asks questions, getting to know both William and Dawn. He shares his own plans for life with optimism. His movements are lanky and a little unhinged, almost like his body is moving first and he needs to catch up with it. He’ll put on an ironic air of confidence when he flirts with Dawn, but rolls crumpled up paper balls to her and together they comfortably shoot them towards the waste basket while chatting.
This is not to not give the other members of the cast their flowers as well. We feel Dawn’s strong sense of justice through Emma Jo Boyden not only as a new member of the force, but also that extra sense of determination to prove being a woman is not a detriment. If Adam Schulmerich’s goal was to make us loathe Bill then he has succeeded with his air of entitlement. And we see Terence Sims as William going back and forth on whether he should compromise his sense of morality, stress vaping as he thinks out loud.
Though all dealing with this issue in their own ways, we see how even something that may appear black and white still has everyone reacting in vastly different ways.
Terence Sims as William and Elliot Esquivel as Jeff
The After Party Thoughts
We’re left with uncertainty and leave the theater wondering what happens next? What does Jeff decide to do? Even though it’s a one set play where we don’t move from the lobby of the building, we still feel the action that happens offstage as the various characters come in and out and we hear what’s happening in the outside world. The cast kept me engaged and I was fully locked on to the drama and what they were going to do next.
For those that want more of an action packed play or aren’t interested in morality plays that don’t have a clear ending, this might not be the show for you. However, if you love one set plays where the plot is slowly unraveled in front of you and material that makes you think, Lobby Hero would be a good fit for you.
RECOMMENDED
Terence Sims as William and Elliot Esquivel as Jeff
When
Now through March 8, 2025
Where
Theater Wit
1229 W Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
Runtime: 2hrs 10min, including intermission
Tickets
$15+
Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (773) 975-8150 or through the Shattered Globe website
Photos
Michael Brosilow
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre In Chicago
Adam Schulmerich as Bill and Emma Jo Boyden as Dawn
CAST
Elliot Esquivel (Jeff)
Emma Jo Boyden (Dawn)
Adam Schulmerich (Bill)
Terence Sims (William)
CREATIVE
Kenneth Lonergan (Playwright)
Nate Santana (Director)
José Manuel Díaz-Soto (Set Design)
Uriel Gomez (Costumes)
Ellie Fey (Lighting)
Mariah Bennett (Props)
Chris Kriz (Sound)
Sammi Grant (Dialect Coach)
Greg Poljacik (Fight Design)
Julia Farrell Diefenbach (Dramaturgy)
Tina Jach (Stage Manager)
Lucy Whipp (Production Manager)