Have you ever hated your manager and wanted to get one back on them? Or better yet, have you ever been blackmailed by your employer in an abuse of power? In a tale of twists and suspense, Mountain Hare Productions Appraisal hits the stage of Assembly George Square to entertain us with a very funny and dark comedic thriller.
Appraisal sets us in manager Jo’s office for an end of the year review of his employee, Nicki. Written by Tim Marriot, the play is a story of manipulation and a game of cat and mouse from what was seemingly a very innocent “personal” conversation between colleagues.
The set was very simple. Desk. Chair. Laptop. Mug. Golf club. Everything you would expect in a high end manager’s office. The set didn’t need to be much as the story was the driving point and the set was the perfect level of ambiance needed for the drama.
Marriott’s writing is very intelligent and cleverly lays out a story of deceit and gaslighting that unravels smoothly. The timing of the piece was great as both character arcs were going in tandem very nicely after the turning point. Some of the comedy felt a little skimmed over, or too on the nose and delivered too quickly at times by both characters, however, the audience still lapped it up from start to finish.
Marriott’s performance as Jo was fantastic. Everything from his demeanour, to his pronunciation of words, to his “I’m one of the cool bosses” attitude made you hate him from the offset as he was very relatable to a lot of people. Marriott’s timing and delivery of both comedic and dramatic text was very subtle and smooth which was refreshing at times during the show as his continuous mix of delivery kept the character from going stale which it easily could have. During some back and forth between himself and fellow performer Angela Bull, his energy dipped and with that went his projection which from the back of the room began becoming slightly hard to hear at certain exchanges. Otherwise, a very solid performance throughout.
Bull came in with bags and bags of energy. She really felt like the driving force of the two performers and her characterisation and full throttle attitude really lended to the relationship between the two. The turning point of Nicki, revealing her secret weapon, really landed with the audience and it felt like a big twist, which is again easy to lose in a suspenseful moment on stage. Bull could change up their tone of delivery and add some more inflictions and vary her energy level and emotional level a bit more frequently, as for some of the piece it did tend to feel one note for the character until the big turning point. Although this doesn’t take away from Bull’s performance at all as her powerhouse approach really suited the character and the play well.
In conclusion, Appraisal is a great piece of theatre that keeps you on the edge of your seat as the relatable aspect of the show makes you root for the hero and despise the abusive manager that we all know and hate. Some very funny moments and clever twists.
Appraisal is playing at Assembly George Square – Studio Two @ 11:35am from August 22nd-28th.
Get your tickets here @ https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/appraisal
Theatre Scotland 
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