“Boardroom”, Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Venue: Greenside @ George Street – Olive Studio
Duration: 50 minutes
Venue number: 236
Four-star review ★★★★
Tom Shortland in Edinburgh
21 August 2024
Boardroom may be funniest play at the Fringe this year. It is certainly the most amusing thing I have seen, and I intuit that it may be ahead of other plays in this regard.
The concept is based on something familiar to anyone who remembers the state of British commercial television ten to 15 years ago: the realization of just how messed up some of the most popular documentaries and reality shows that surrounded us really were. Parodying poorly-aged shows like “Supersize vs Superskinny”, “Snog Marry Avoid?” and “Benefits Street”, this play is a new comedy set in the early 2010s in the offices of fictional Silky Productions, responsible for “ASBO Addicts” and “My Ugly Neighbour”, and countless Ofcom complaints.
The production studio’s executives enter the office one-by-one, portrayed with hilarious vibrancy and immaturity from the beginning by Calum Blackie, Theo Tomlinson, and Leah Pollard (the latter in drag as “Carl”) replete with ill-fitting suits, ugly ties and drawn-on facial hair. Their infectious boisterous spirit amuses the crowd from beginning to end, especially Pollard, who masters the character’s grotesque toxic masculinity with a dazzling sense of humour. The cast all demonstrate commitment, playfulness, creativity and enormous potential.
Voices of reason are introduced in the form of Mary (Jemima Hurst) and Warren (Sam Bain) who balance and complement the raucous chaos of the boardroom with subdued sensibility, intelligence and patience. Strikingly reminiscent of Dawn and Tim in “The Office”, they provide a straight-man for the execs to play off, a touch of relatability, and a blissfully awkward romantic arc. As the story develops beyond the ridiculousness of the bosses, it delves into each character’s more serious afflictions, with a dramatically sophisticated but darkly comedic feel. Bain is adept at his unique brand of endearing and lovingly awkward presence.
What could easily have been written as a series of hilarious sketches follows a satisfying and equally hilarious story into a gratifying ending.
Parodying this particular brand of late noughties reality television may sound like familiar ground to the millions of people who have seen Horatio Gould and Andrew Kirwan’s sketches. But the show’s writer and co-director CiCi Hughes’s new show comes at the same topic from an altogether different angle, exposing the equally funny and grotesquely irresponsible attitudes behind the camera. Far from derivative, the writing and performances are of a much higher quality and originality than you would expect from a student-written amateur production.
The show is made all the more delightful by the attention to detail: the set is dressed with the kind of assorted tat you might expect to find in the office, and large boxes are labelled “Ofcom complaints 2011-12” et cetera.
In the current state of the industry, the likelihood of any professional company taking a gamble on a new show with a cast of five, by a writer with no track record, is slim to none. This show demonstrates, justifies, and makes the most of the unique opportunity student drama provides. The Fringe provides these talented young creatives with an extraordinary opportunity for exposure. You never know who will be in the audience in Edinburgh; for this show, Richard E. Grant made a visit (and loved it, of course).
Boardroom is an absurdly joyful and critical satire. The witty script and extraordinary performances make this show a real hidden gem.
