Bea works three full-time jobs. It’s a lot for anyone to cope with, but she is determined to treat this capitalist world of work like a cash grab. Isley Lynn and Libby Rodliffe’s
As heart-wrenching as it is hilarious, Rodliffe delivers an outstanding performance.
Bea is plate spinning like a madman. She works as a personal assistant at a “health and legal group”, a concierge at a luxury apartment building and a dog sitter. Plus data entry on the weekends. It is safe to say that she is constantly in deep water. The show reflects this, depicting a frantic whirlwind of a protagonist who is constantly agitated, overwrought and overworked. Though this is a lot to take in at the beginning, after a while you ease into the style and willingly strap in for the hectic ride, eyes hooked on Rodcliffe from start to finish. Performing a plethora of characters with accents from all over the globe, Rodcliffe snaps back and forth between Bea and her counterparts in dynamic exchanges with keen accuracy. The clear-cut distinction between each role is unbelievably impressive as she deftly moves from one to the other using microscopic detail that balances demonstration with subtlety.
There is a shift in tone after Bea catches her toxic boss doing something he shouldn’t, triggering an avalanche of blackmail, manipulation and mind games. The two engage in a nail-biting chess game that keeps you on the edge of your seat. As the drama intensifies, so do the more serious undertones. One is struck by the sad reality of taking the (very) small wins that come from working yourself to the bone: the odd free French fry, being able to stay in someone’s swanky flat. Struggling to stay afloat, Bea’s assurance that though she is miserable, “it’s not forever” touches on a relatable feeling of desperation that really hits home.
Describing her parents as “losers”, Bea’s strained relationship with her mother doesn’t fully feel justified and is a point that could be expanded upon to help us understand the protagonist’s point of view better. Despite this, her resolve to support her dysfunctional father who is crippled with debt is a plot point that has deep pathos. Rodliffe and Lynn shine a light on the vicious trap of moneylending companies that only sink you deeper into debt and the destruction that this causes to family and loved ones. It can sometimes feel like the only way out of the plutocratic society we live in.
Jobsworth is a play of our times. Mocking the ‘workplace grind’ and portraying the all-too-familiar faces of privilege and scandal, Rodliffe and Lynn have created a piece that elucidates the problems with our work-obsessed world with wonderful humour and wit.
