HR The Musical review: Clocking in for laughs
A high-energy barrage of workplace satire skewers corporate culture with catchy songs, sharp character comedy and plenty of audience participation
There’s an oddly satisfying, almost therapeutic masochism in watching the mind-numbing horrors of the 9-to-5 being set to a catchy beat. Written and produced by Amy Mansfield (who takes to the stage alongside Mika Austin and Jessica Robinson), HR The Musical holds up a middle finger to modern office culture, mocking everything from corporate speak to the agonising death of passive-aggressive emails. Structured as a fast-paced series of musical skits with significant audience involvement, the show skewers all the usual suspects: forced team building, nightmarish managers and the endless buzzwords that make us want to throw our laptops out the window.
Mansfield, Austin and Robinson are an absolute riot together. They jump between ridiculous workplace characters (including Traitors-style management and a dominatrix) with superb comedic timing. And they dish out everything from satirical rap and folk songs to mansplaining arias and hilarious corporate anthems in sequences which rival many of the Festival’s bigger-budget musicals. The main issue, however, comes down to the show’s structure. Built as a collection of quick sketches rather than a story with a proper arc, it relies entirely on high energy to keep things moving. By clocking-out time, the central joke starts to feel a bit thin.
HR The Musical, Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 31 August, 6.30pm; picture: Michelle McLennan.