Review: You Are All Resources, Bread and Roses Theatre

What happens when you’re drowning in ever-changing HR demands and the only thing standing between you and success is… HR? When “the computer says no” takes on an entirely human form, the absurdity of the workplace becomes both a nightmare and a very good reason to laugh. In You Are All Resources, Emma Davies plunges headfirst into this brilliantly bonkers world, playing the gloriously named Alllison Pope (yes, three Ls) in an HR nightmare you’ll absolutely want to be part of.

Before even entering the space, you are handed a name tag reminiscent of any team-building day or corporate away day, always led by an external HR “professional”. The name tags immediately set the scene for the offbeat yet impeccably executed HR experience we are about to have, with names as rare as Fil, Nuncy and Jackii. Almost easy to spell, but inevitably requiring some verbal direction from their owners.

The show depicts an HR meeting where we are all gathered, waiting to find out who has not made it through the Remark Recruitment restructure. This choice is paramount to the success of the show, placing us directly in the centre of the story and making us feel genuinely influenced by Alllison Pope’s actions.

Thrust into a Night Before Christmas-style structure, the show is interrupted by projections of Alllison’s predecessor, her current HR issue and, finally, the problem of her future. This is hilarious, introducing archetypal characters who all feel extremely familiar. Not only is this choice exceedingly funny, but it gives the show another layer of depth, offering commentary on the job market, the ever-growing AI industry and the ethical responsibility — or, more accurately, lack of it — that can accompany professional positions.

This is perhaps the most abstract element of the play, but these characters act almost as a deus ex machina, demanding that the audience think beyond simply how entertaining and cathartic the experience of Alllison Pope is.

We are taken through different genres of people who could be up for firing, alongside an increasingly intense “get to know ya”. Davies is nothing short of a comedic mastermind, navigating the intensity of HR through a one-woman show while ensuring the audience remains on the edge of their seats, without being genuinely scared. You feel safe when she is on stage, and within five minutes you are certain that your next laugh is never far away.

HR, and the problematic nature of seeing humans as resources rather than humans, leaving no space for humanity, is a national issue that has left so many high and dry. Intelligent punch lines like “it’s not personal, it’s personnel” make her point loud and clear. Davies fearlessly steps into this role, offering a harsh comedic perspective while never shying away from the bigger questions: what happens when you have no resources left to offer?

The resounding message of the show is that a human’s worth should not be defined by what they can offer a corporate company. Although this is a very real aspect of so many people’s lives, You Are All Resources manages to take a complex and chaotic real-life struggle and turn it into something hilarious, absurd and genuinely thought-provoking.

If you want to laugh, feel slightly traumatised by the familiarity of corporate HR, and leave the theatre thinking a little harder about the systems we have created around work and human value, this is the show for you.

Written and directed by Emma Davies

You Are All Resources has completed its run as part of Lambeth Fringe