Writer: Mike Bartlett
Director: Sally Woodcock
After 10 years, Mike Bartlett’s workplace dramaBull returns to Sheffield’s Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse. Centring around a redundancy meeting, in which one member of a team of three will be let go, we watch as one individual is bullied out of their job by their colleagues. Infuriating and quite uncomfortable to watch, Bartlett’s play feels incredibly timely in a moment where so many companies are making redundancies and budget cuts.
On the whole, the play feels incredibly believable. Performed in the round, the audience is immersed into this office, with Myles Robinson’s innovative sound design adding to the immersion. The characters that Bartlett has written feel like people you could really see in a workplace. The setting remains quite non-descript in the text which makes it easier for audience members to position themselves in the scene and consider whether poor behaviour like that that we see here could be happening around them. Director Sally Woodcock does a fantastic job at keeping the show moving at a pace, and ensuring audiences on all sides get a piece of the action. Alex Marker’s set design is simple but sets the scene well, likewise with his costumes.
Rob Ostlere plays protagonist Thomas wonderfully. He is instantly likeable, making the events of the play feel all the more painful to watch, whilst capturing the anger and the sadness of the character perfectly. Rebecca Blackstone and Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran take on the roles of Isobel and Tony respectively. Both work very well together, with a strong rapport. They are both characters we love to hate, whilst generally being very believable. Blackstone’s final scene does feel as though it becomes a bit too surreal, but that makes one wonder what unbelievably awful behaviour and bullying could really be happening in workplaces behind closed doors. Tim Frances completes the cast as manager Carter. His characterisation is spot on, finding the right moments to build tension, whilst the conclusion still comes, what feels like, far too quickly – hence showing the decisions here had been made without listening to any of the employees.
Bullis a challenging watch, that often feels too close to home. It is deeply impactful and performed excellently. Hopefully, in the current political and economic climate, employers will see this play and be reminded to treat all their employees with dignity and respect.
Runs until 18th January 2025, before continuing on tour