In The Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager, Bunkum Ensemble delivers a riotous and surreal satire on office culture, blending absurdist comedy with vivid storytelling and a surprising emotional depth. Winner of the Charlie Hartill Theatre Fund 2025 and nominated for an OFF-Fest award at Brighton Fringe, this production is a bold and inventive exploration of the psychological toll of modern work.
We follow Ben Weaver, an unassuming office worker whose life takes a bizarre turn when he picks up a lanyard and becomes Ben Manager. From here, his meteoric rise through corporate ranks is charted via a series of increasingly unhinged PowerPoint presentations, live-scored musical interludes and surreal vignettes. As Ben ascends, the show takes a darker twist, revealing the monstrous transformation that unchecked ambition can bring.
Jack Parris, who also wrote the piece, gives a high-energy and meticulously detailed performance as Ben. He’s a “details guy” through and through, and it’s this precision that anchors the chaos around him. The supporting cast (Paulina Krzeczkowska, Teele Uustanti and musician-performer Mike Coxhead) bring a rich variety of characters to life, including CEOs, worker ants and Derp, a puppet who adds both humour and pathos.
The production is peppered with unexpected musical numbers and clever puppetry, with Derp becoming a symbol of lost innocence. Sound design is particularly inventive, with much of it created live on stage, adding to the sense of spontaneity and play. The theme of ants—worker ants, specifically—runs throughout, offering a potent metaphor for the dehumanising grind of corporate life.
Despite its surreal tone, the show is grounded in themes of authenticity and confidence, both explored and embodied by the ensemble. It’s a piece that invites audiences to laugh at the absurdity of hustle culture while quietly urging them to reconnect with their inner child.
This is a show that will appeal to lovers of surreal comedy and fans of devised theatre. It’s strange, smart and strikingly original.
