Workshy @ Summerhall

Workshy maybe, but shy Katy Baird is not. Baird’s debut at the Fringe is part gig theatre, part performance art and part sociology lecture. In a kind of theatrical CV, she talks through her employment history, split into five sections – Food, Booze, Drugs, Sex, and Office – all the while interacting with the audience, compiling straw polls of her demographic and their own career history.

The tone of the performance is confused from the start, never clear whether Baird intends the piece to be comedic or serious. Karaoke-style renditions of Tina Turner merge into frank discussions of life on benefits and drug abuse in a way that causes the audience to expect punchlines that never come.

Her storytelling style is akin to that of an old friend bringing you up-to-date on everything you’ve missed in their life since you last met – whether you’re interested in it or not, she’s going to continue her story regardless. And while there is something impressive about that casual disregard of what ‘should’ or ‘should not’ be on stage – Workshy is undoubtedly the show Baird wanted to make – along with this comes something altogether unpolished. There’s a charm to the homemade feel of Workshy – Baird offers everyone refreshments throughout – but it can only take the show so far.

Ultimately, Workshy is lacking in substance. It connects strands together through no common thread, almost like a sketch show without the jokes. There are things in Workshy that won’t be seen onstage anywhere else at the festival, but the play’s shock factor is not matched with any kind of achieved purpose, so it neither entertains nor provokes thought. 

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Workshy, Summerhall, until 27 Aug (not 9, 16, 21), 9.10pm, £5-12