Jordans Off-Broadway Reviews

Jordans aims to take us to a place of horror and hysteria, a place where the laughter becomes a choke, a gag, a howl. But it hasn’t gone far enough at either end of the satirical spectrum. On one side, the inhuman scale; on the other, beneath the zingers and jabs, the bruised human hearts that are, somehow, still beating.

If you liked Jordan Peele’s horror comedy “Get Out,” you’re going to love Ife Olujobi’s horror comedy “Jordans,” which opened Wednesday at the Public Theater. Is it pure coincidence that Peele’s first name is Jordan, and Olujobi has written a play that’s about two characters who are named Jordan? The similarities don’t end there. Both “Get Out” and “Jordans” clock in as many gasps as they do laughs. More significant, each work sets Black characters — one in “Get Out,” two in “Jordans” — who find themselves in the uncomfortable situation of living and working in a white-run world.

The physical and visual comedy in Jordans is top-notch. It’s also excellent comedic relief to the darker themes and creepier scenes of the play, such as Jordan having hot coffee intentionally poured on her face or Hailey, the boss, feeling up 1.Jordan when they first meet. Jordans is sharp, chilling, and twistedly funny even at its darkest. There is good reason for its numerous content warnings, but if you can stomach a little blood, sex, and violence for the sake of great satire, you’ll be richly rewarded. Olujobi’s writing paired with the direction of Whitney White (fresh off of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding on Broadway) makes for a thrill ride full of tension and laughs.