Fringe review: HR The Musical
Giving office life a good shake, this plundering of human resources jargon is an instantly relatable gem. ★★★★
If you used to work in HR and now do not work in HR and have, presumably, been diligently working on your recovery ever since, consider this your content warning. “My parachute is HR coloured” is practically the first line in this well-observed sketch-comedy, and if you’re anything like me, that sort of thing that will take you right back to your darkest place. Yes, full disclosure: your faithful reviewer is an HR escapee and so uniquely qualified to say that every word of this show rings true, not just for HR folks but for anyone who has ever worked in an office. And that’s a lot of people. That’s probably because writer and producer Amy Mansfield’s brilliant crowd-sourced work horror stories from real-life human resources (I cannot comment on rumours that Ms Mansfield has me on speed-dial). The cast include a couple of HR survivors too.
Talking of the cast, Mika Austin, Amy Mansfield and Jessica Robinson all do a cracking job and it’s ridiculously refreshing to see mature performers at a Fringe that skews so heavily towards putting the younger generations on stage. More please. Mansfield sets the scene early, with a set-piece “translating” those email phrases (“just a gentle nudge”/”get a fucking move on”) but tends to let the songs do the talking. Numbers like ‘Lay Your Global All-Hands on Me’, ‘Have I Told You Lately You’re a C***?’ and ‘Boundarilessness’ all land with an audience who have clearly been to the town hall. A quiet Sunday isn’t peak singalong time but everyone is happy to join in, probably because we all share the same values.
This is a great show that could easily realise its potential by bringing its whole self to work as a full-blown musical in future. Perhaps CEO Dick could get cracking on the synergies and optimise the operating model. As it stands, it’s a very funny hour of musical comedy that will make you wince and groan in equal measure, especially if you’re an out-of-the-box thinker whose passion is serving your client group.
HR The Musical is playing at BankSA Theatre at Gluttony from February 19 – March 8
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