Welcome to the Mind of Ben Worth and his 'Office Politics'

By Laura Darrall

Welcome to the mind of Ben Worth, subversive, dark and hilarious with heart. An up and coming dramatist, taking the new writing scene by storm, with pieces staged at Southwark Playhouse, The Park Theatre and chosen as one of four writers for Theatre 503 Futures, this is a playwright whose voice needs to be heard.

Worth’s style is a cross between John Godber, The Office and Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, his writing seamlessly weaves between stylized theatricality, rhythmic stichomythia and cultural portent without blinking an eye. He has you laughing from your belly to the tip of your nose and you are too busy reaching for the Kleenex to wipe the tears from your eyes to notice that there is an important message to each of his works. It is only when the laughter stops and the tears dry that it begins to osmose into your thoughts, leaving you to question and debate all the way up the Northern line.

His three short plays, under the titular umbrella of Office Politics had a brief outing at Theatre 503 this week. In Office Politics Worth explores the cyclical nature of office life, the traps of success, the unquenchable desire for money and the danger that comes hand in hand with that desire. In each of these punchy vignettes there emerges a darkly witty twist behind the banality of office life, his grotesque characters charm us, appal us and eventually surprise us. Wolf of Wall Street, eat your heart out.

Heading up a five strong cast, Worth leads an impeccable ensemble. Special mention has to be made of James Cooney, for his cheeky portrayal of a ‘chav’ with an untimely ending, Simon James Bailie whose touching vulnerability brought silence to raucous laughter and finally, the indomitable Ruth Worth who tackled a 15 minute monologue with bunny boiling brilliance.

This play needs another outing, so I challenge you Soho Theatre, Royal Court, Paines Plough and the Bush, pick it up and take it for dinner. You won’t regret it.

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