There is much in the ideology of Work Songs that holds appeal for any of us who have toiled in an unforgiving job: explorations of complex status play and mind-numbing routine, and a clever examination of the tension caused by ridiculous office minutiae.
Broderick Chow and Tom Wells are consummate performers in the physical theatre style, with Chow in particular creating some engaging moments through direct audience address which makes one yearn for him to succeed in his aim of escaping the mundane. Indeed, Chow is as desperate to leave his job as Wells is to make him stay, and the battle that ensues is illustrated through stylised and hugely energetic wrestling sequences, which are well-choreographed and firmly influenced by contemporary dance.
In some respects the production is reminiscent of DV8’s Enter Achilles, with the need to be ‘top dog’ in a masculine environment being explored with robust and polished physicality. The effort in achieving this is evident in the sheer volume of sweat that pours from the performers, and is featured effectively in the denouement: the audience are handed damp and useless spreadsheets to examine, a futile and highly symbolic gesture that effectively sums up the show’s key themes.
Undoubtedly the set-up and immense physical effort are commendable, but there is room for development in the execution of character and the delivery of some of the dialogue here. Whilst the narrative warmed up as the production progressed, tangible characters were not fully established and a good portion of Wells’ lines in particular were lost to an over-loud soundtrack or at times to rushed delivery. This lead to difficulty in consistently engaging as an audience member. There is a challenge here in developing a piece where movement and dialogue fully complement each other, further complicated by combining abstract and heightened movement with very naturalistic and at times low energy dialogue. The performers’ engagement with this challenge and level of risk-taking in the use of movement make for a complicated but interesting piece with the potential to be honed into a more coherent whole.