Review: ONE OF THE BOYS, The Playground Theatre

The fact that the corporate world lends itself to drama way too well isn’t exactly a comfortable thought. Cutthroat executives and ruthless CEOs locked in white-collar bullpens have served as backdrop for all kinds of stories, from horror to thriller.

In theatre, the representation of organisational culture is relatively reduced compared to its televised counterpart, but it’s there if you know where to look. Mike Bartlett’s Bull comes to mind, and, in a way, Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy. Now, a brand new take on office politics and clerical psychology has hit the scene, allegedly highlighting the personal sacrifices and continuous compromise experienced by women in positions of leadership. 

Tim Edge’s sophomore project is described as a nail-biting show that uncovers the dark truths of vicious competition and ferocious career moves. The production over-promises and under-delivers. It’s not only plagued by a debilitating case of women-written-by-a-man, it’s also predictable and formulaic. It doesn’t offer a commentary on sexism as much as reiterating that a play only truly works if it brings something original to the table. Though Edge thinks he’s probably doing the opposite, his piece is rife with misogyny from start to end. 

The writer reiterates multiple times that this is a “high-performance culture based on profit” as if it justified and excused the two-dimensionality of each role. The narrow characterisations don’t do anyone any favours. The outright relentless innuendos get old very quickly, as do the deeply and openly uncomfortable work relationships that would never actually fly in that type of setting. Edge flaunts the business lingo, but doesn’t sound genuine or natural.

Matt Ray Brown and Daniel Kendrick portray the men, one the chair and the other an executive of some sort. We don’t precisely know what Kendrick’s Kevin does, except for flirting with every woman he meets and making proudly inappropriate remarks. You’ve got to wonder how such a big corporation doesn’t have any HR regulations in place. As for the women, Miriam Grace Edwards’s Eve can’t apparently be considered such because she’s “one of the boys” (yes, the one from the title) and Heidi (Jess Gough), with her sheer top and tattoos, has come to stir the pot and instigate change. Their liaisons are boring and unexceptional, far removed from the high-stakes pressure of the premise.

Lydia McKinley directs with a strong and stubborn brutalist vision - it’s the most striking bit of it and gives the audience something to chew on while Edge follows plot lines picked from pre-existing IPs (you won’t have to try hard to see hints of American Psycho, The Wolf of Wall Street, and even Suits). She lays down her perception of the subtext thickly during the scene changes, presenting the company as feral beasts ready to pounce on each other while music thumps and lights flash. It’s on the nose, but it would work wonders if the rest followed suit in the quality of its material.

The dialogue remains standardised and dull, void of feeling and repelling any further investigation. McKinley’s visual allegories and quick pace don’t reflect in the writing, creating a dissonance between the text and its installations. The jarring sounds and intense vibe turn the resetting of the stage into nightmarish acts that flatten when the action resumes. The actors give uneven performances. Kendrick is compulsively watchable, unflappable in the delivery of such a deplorable man, but Brown is unconvincing in his flimsy portrayal.

Edwards and Gough are marginally more interesting. Though there isn’t much space for nuance, Edwards gets there by the end. The issue is that they all suffer an unexciting script. It’s a shame, the piece could have been an eye-opener if it weren’t so insipid and trite. At this moment, the story needs to be stronger, with added tension and far more character insight. The end (which was unfortunately fumbled on press night), doesn't pay off either: Edge tries to end it in a place of the euphoric vindication we've been expecting all along, but fails to hit he right spot. Ultimately, the production is too tedious to make a difference. 

One of the Boys runs at The Playground Theatre until 27 October.

Photo credits: Craig Fuller

To post a comment, you must register and login.