What I liked
I like how the story weaves modern topics such as school shootings and Onlyfans, which makes the universe feel a bit more tangible.
My friends and I all agreed it was nice to see a production where the primary theme is male grief and vulnerability, as these sorts of stories seem to be less common.
What I didn't like
As I mentioned before, there are some pacing issues which made the play feel slow and disjointed. I recall my friends dozing off during those scenes with the grief bros discussing their trauma. Those segments need to be edited.
And given the focus of the play, using “Gloryhole” as the title of this work is very misleading. Considering how inconsequential those scenes at the gloryhole felt, it makes the whole thing feel contrived. They should have titled the play “Bronesia” (a made up term from the play encompassing modern male grief) and focused on that.
And my last issue is the ticket price feels excessive for the relative quality of the play. I have seen far more polished productions at $8-$15 per ticket. I don’t understand why they though it would be appropriate to charge $30 if they knew it was a work in progress. Of course, the producers are free to charge what they please, but the audience will have higher expectations.
My overall impression
This is a play which explores how a modern man reconciles with his grief after the untimely passing of his wife. As the title suggests, the protagonist resorts to sexual gratification, as well as male support groups (ie “grief bros”). The protagonist also gains wisdom and insight about grief from a sex worker behind the gloryhole – as well as his friends.
Overall, this is a work in progress. There were pacing issues and a handful of scenes that dragged on a little too long, but that is to be expected from Fringe shows.
Despite the title, it should be noted the gloryhole is NOT the focal point of the story. There are a couple brief gloryhole scenes, but a lot of the protagonist’s healing are be attributed to his friends and time spent with grief bros support group.
The gloryhole and the insightful sexworker behind the hole could have been replaced with just about anything else in this script. It could have been substituted with a professional therapist, a “magical negro” trope, or even a co-worker etc. and it would have been the same play.
I feel like the scriptwriters chose the “gloryhole” title because it’s provocative, and draws in an audience. And now that it has drawn me in and I’ve seen this production, I feel a bit mislead.
