Work. Huel. Podcast. Repeat. The daily routine and mantra of Bruce, whose sole aim in life is to achieve huge success and who is willing to forego everything else just to achieve this.
We follow Bruce, a proclaimed workaholic desperate for his podcast ‘Diary of a Hustler’ to reach more than 41 subscribers, on his journey to realise that perhaps he has been using his work to hide from his grief. We suffered through his excessive motivational mantras, were the subject of his jabs at those who don’t share his zest for working – and laughed throughout.
In this new play by Jonathan Gallard, comedy and satire poke fun at the absurdity of glorifying the ‘hustle’. This performance is the epitome of a passion project, with only three people involved in the curation of this entire production. The character Bruce was both insufferable and endearing, and the actor played him with an obvious passion for this project.
During this one-man show, the audience was captivated, laughing with, and at times at, the actor as he delivered an hilarious performance. Breaking the fourth wall and inviting audience interaction worked seamlessly for this piece, creating a dynamic and inclusive experience rather than a traditional actor-audience relationship. It was a creative blend of stand-up comedy and theatrical performance.
The show was performed at Seven Arts Leeds, an independent arts space in Chapel Allerton which was the perfect backdrop for this production. For 18 years, Seven Arts has taken pride in connecting diverse cultures and championing local and regional creativity. The evening was a joyful celebration of emerging artists, their original work and the exciting early stages of this project.
Staging and props were limited, but this was only a testament to the actor’s ability to transform the small stage into many different locations, including the dance floor of the Ministry of Sound. In fact, this whole production was a prime example of less is more – something that Bruce does not seem to have learned! What started as a five-minute piece has developed into a full hour performance, poking fun at the very modern entrepreneur’s mindset, an obsessive need to remain relevant, paired with time-saving all in one Huel drinks – because why would you waste time chewing? There was a clear understanding of their audience and has been written so that this would be a suitable watch for both a young and older viewer.
If you find yourself relating to the pressures of obsessive work culture, some of the jokes might feel a little too relatable. Saying that this was the backbone of the entire concept, if you can’t laugh at the ridiculous need to hustle, than perhaps this is not the performance for you!
This was the work’s debut performance, and while the story may benefit from some refinement, it holds great promise to be enjoyed by and captivate future audiences. The show was quintessential Friday night entertainment and has made me realise two things: hustling is not everything and I should definitely never buy anything from the man in the club toilet!
