Jeremy Boutsakis: Thought Leader A Conference for Sole Traders

A Conference for Sole Traders leaves you none the richer

Review by Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore | 13 Aug 2007
Suitably smarmy in a pink shirt and white crocodile loafers, Jeremy Boutsakis (real name Mark Swivel) invites his audience to laugh at the corporate business world in his one man show A Conference for Sole Traders. Wavering uneasily between stand-up comedy and scripted theatre, Jeremy spends an hour guiding his 'delegates' through PowerPoint presentations. These are designed to create the ultimate 'Sole Trader': a business man or woman who will conquer the cut throat capitalist market. This is a send up of the sometimes laughable, often pitiful, self-help obessession of the 21st century which teaches us how we can get rich quick.

The idea is a clever one; original and brave, Swivel attacks it with gusto. Unfortunately, to work well it needs either to be sensationally silly or scathingly satirical. Boutsakis' Conference is neither. Techniques used to create a laugh are sometimes witty but generally immature - 'delegates' (aka audience members) are told they must touch thumbs for Sole Trading power, one delegate is asked to jump off a box and pulses are measured. In one memorable moment, Boutsakis instructs audience members to close their eyes and think of their self image in five seconds: one couple thinks themselves out of the room, using the opportunity for a quick escape.

A Conference for Sole Traders has potential, but feels more like a school lesson than a show. I leave an hour later sadly none the richer; a noble attempt, but Boutsakis misses the mark.