Sixty per cent of us hate our jobs.
After more than 20 years of work, comedian (and tired ex-middle manager) Mel Byron left the sixty percent behind to pursue a more creative life. With her return to stand-up comedy, she brings a show based on her experiences of modern workplace madness to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
Karoshi is Japanese for ‘death by overwork’ – literally. But what about the little deaths we all experience every time we clock in?
In this hilarious, fact-filled hour, Mel pokes fun at the absurdities that drove her to head for the door; have you ever been subjected to a Myers-Briggs Personality Test? Or had a boss who ate food off your plate during a business dinner? These are just a couple of examples taken from Mel’s own working life.
On Karoshi, Mel says ‘I wanted to make my previous misery count for something. I do this by holding up a mirror to the behaviours and conventions that usually stress us about work, and then showing them up for the corporate nonsense they are. I hope people will go back to their desks and laugh when they see them rear their heads again.’
Aimed at anyone who’s ever had a job, this is surely the most relatable show at this year’s festival.
The Mash House (Venue 288) | 37 Guthrie St, EH1 1JG | 4-27 Aug (not 14) |12 noon.
