Review: Robert Will Show You The Door (Tales Of Being Fired), Greenwich Theatre

Watching Susan Jeremy’s animated tales of employment – and the inevitable firings that follow – is not merely entertaining; it’s disarmingly relatable. Anyone who’s endured a detestable job for the sake of rent money, or found themselves surrounded by colleagues who feel as though they’ve stepped straight out of a cartoon, will recognise the terrain she treads. Even as a reviewer, parallels can be drawn. Though many work on a voluntary basis, the obligations carry their own peculiar gravitas: the weekly emails comparing monthly output to previous years, the gentle nudges about deadlines and formatting your work and the occasional reminder that if you’re not reviewing regularly, – voluntary or not -… the door may eventually be shown to you.

Yet, as with Jeremy’s own journey, there’s a fulfilling symbiosis within the system. Reviewers gain access to unique productions; creatives gain eyes on their work. And in Jeremy’s case, the symbiosis of her employment misadventures – though not always obvious – has clearly shaped the performer she is today. Every job, every mishap, every firing has brought her full circle to this moment: sharing how each experience carved out a piece of her identity.

Jeremy’s mother is convinced her daughter is destined for fame – specifically as a comedian. Jeremy herself, however, feels miles away from such a destiny being young, broke, and ricocheting from one ill-fated job to the next. What follows is a whirlwind tour of her working life: accidentally throwing a hotdog at a senior member from corporate, forgetting her clown costume for a child’s party and even being arrested as a street performer. If there is one thing Jeremy excels at, it’s the art of not maintaining employment.

But this is where the show’s charm lies. Throughout her wild and unexpectedly poignant adventures, we witness Jeremy grow – not just in age but in emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-awareness. She begins to understand the world and her place within it, even as the world keeps trying to push her out of the door.

Much to our delight, Jeremy eventually does find her way into comedy and becomes a popular stand-up on the circuit. Do you know what they say about women in comedy? No? Well, neither does Jeremy, because her promising stint is abruptly cut short by a lecherous manager. It’s a moment that lands with a thud of recognition, an all too familiar story for women in entertainment, and Jeremy handles it with a deft blend of humour and humble honesty.

Finally, Jeremy finds herself poised for success, the kind we’ve been quietly rooting for throughout, only to have it snatched away as global tragedy strikes. The show never wallows in this loss, but it acknowledges it with sincerity, allowing the audience to feel the weight of that pivotal, world event and a life unfairly interrupted.

Jeremy elevates her story beyond a binary personal memoir, turning it into a series of cultural signposts. These moments anchor her story in shared history; events many of us witnessed, albeit from different angles. Some references may slip past certain generations (Mork and Mindy for example), but the emotional resonance remains universal.

Throughout her escapades, Jeremy forms relationships that shape her sense of self and her understanding of her own worth. These connections, both fleeting and formative, equip her with the tools she needs to discover her true vocational calling: connecting with those who need it most. And in a perfectly meta twist, just as her mother predicted, Jeremy now stands in the spotlight, using her extraordinary life to deliver a show that is comedic, poignant, and quietly profound.

Robert Will Show You the Door (Tales of Being Fired) is more than a catalogue of workplace disasters. It’s a celebration of survival, reinvention and the strange, circuitous routes that lead us to where we’re meant to be. Jeremy’s story reminds us that sometimes being shown the door is simply the universe nudging you towards the right one.

Written, Produced and Performed by Susan Jeremy

Robert Will Show You The Door (Tales Of Being Fired) plays at Greenwich Theatre Studio until Saturday 25 April.