Pleasance Courtyard Upstairs
A comedy depicting the struggles of balancing multiple jobs, this frantic and funny one-woman show is surprisingly moving.Summary
Rating
Excellent
On a narrow rectangular stage stands a chair and desk. Slightly to the right is another, comfier looking chair with a side table tucked away next to it. These two areas represent Bea’s main desk jobs and her other side hustles.
Bea, like the insect, is constantly buzzing around. She has multiple jobs and is struggling to stay on top of them all. She handles her remote work as a personal assistant from a reception desk in a fancy building where she is employed as concierge-cum-security. She then looks after a hideous chihuahua whilst completing a data entry job at the home of a friend she is house-sitting for.
Libbey Rodliffe switches roles as quickly as Bea switches jobs. With a long list of eccentric characters, she rapidly changes to bosses, parents and friends, complete with a myriad of accents and mannerisms. Her skill is impressive as she effortlessly spits out words whilst keeping up a fast pace.
Clothed in a red power suit, Bea comically tells us about her life, such as likening relaying messages between her boss and a builder to dealing with a hostage negotiation. Yet underlying familial issues are slowly revealed throughout the play. There’s an initial joyful facade but the reality is much more serious when we learn why Bea is always working.
Written by Rodliffe and Isley Lynn, Jobsworth captures what many of us go through in our 20s and 30s with balancing various jobs and feeling financially insecure. They handle the more serious moments of the show with sensitivity, non-judgmentally, whilst the frantic, comedic moments are still free to flourish.
Written by: Isley Lynn and Libby Rodliffe
Produced by: Prentice Productions
Jobsworth runs at Pleasance Courtyard Upstairs until 26 August. Further information and tickets can be found here.