Ten minutes into One of the Boys and I wonder if I have walked through a time portal to the 1980s. A television and VCR player has been wheeled into the office to show a training video on how to spot sexual harassment in the workplace and the notepad on my lap becomes, in my imagination, a Filofax.
While the more clichéd portrayals of inappropriate office behaviour occasionally hold this play back from being genuinely thrilling, clever twists in Tim Edge's script – along with emotionally charged scenes – keep you engrossed throughout. This is also in no small part thanks to the standout performances from Jess Gough as Heidi – the young woman at the start of her career desperate to change the company's culture – and Daniel Kendrick as Kevin. This man is the embodiment of everything Heidi is seeking to change, and Kendrick plays the role with enough sleaze to prevent some of the dialogue veering into Carry On territory.
Almost the entire play takes place in the company's office, with the action shared between Heidi, Kevin, acting CEO Eve and ominously named presence ‘The Chair’ – against a backdrop of an international merger and the power struggle that entails. No one is ever sure of each character's intentions until the finale which creates an underlying tension that boils over in moving speeches and altercations. The play's single setting makes the set design fairly simple: fluorescent lighting and a sterile office environment add to the unease of the whole production.
Furniture is rearranged by the cast between scenes to flashing lights and trance music in a promising concept that lacked in its execution. This ultimately undermined the tension that is slowly built in each scene and means the performance just falls short of being the ‘edge-ofthe-seat thriller’ it is billed.
It should also be said that while the play fails to say anything new on the theme of sexual harassment and abuse, it is a stark portrayal of horrific behaviour that still goes on, and the ways in which victims are forced to respond. Some scenes are particularly hard to watch and would not be suitable for younger students.
The play provides students with the opportunity to see a range of very impressive and nuanced performances, as well as an example of how an engrossing production can be put on with a small cast and simple staging.
The themes of deceit, and the corporate struggle for power make for gripping viewing, however, more sensitive and ground-breaking explorations of the play's weightier themes can be found elsewhere.