You’re shown to a waiting area. You’re asked to sign a contract that allows you one hour’s holiday every month and waives your rights in the event on most things. A co-worker arrives to greet you and shows you to your new office. And you’re left alone to start your day. This is Temping.

This show has been to the Fringe a couple of times before but it was this reviewer’s first time. And it’s an immersive treat. You’ve been hired to replace Sarah-Jane (Eva Kiminsky) at an insurance company. She’s on vacation (or is she?) and you need to fill in for her. Step into her office and you’re whisked back in time to Illinois in the days when faxes were plentiful and emails, a novelty. Sarah Jane’s shoes are barely cold but your email’s newly set up. You have a phone. You have your user manual. You’re good to go.

This is no escape room but mysterious happenings are afoot. Your inbox keeps you busy. The fax is gettin’ jiggy with it. For anyone who’s ever been subjected to office email, writer Michael Yates Crowley has observed all of the amusing absurdities and spits them back at us over this speedy hour. Between emails and answering the phone, try to find time to take a prowl about your cubicle. The bookshelves boast various topical titles and the drawers are stuffed with files that might hold a clue. And along with carefully curated instructions, Sarah-Jane also left you sweets!

Where Darkfield’s ARCADE terrifies you into submission, Temping is genuinely immersive and seduces you with a (false) sense that this is just a whole lot of silly office politics. If you’re squeamish about ‘personal’ interaction with people, rest assured that the story unfolds in written and audio form – you won’t have to persuade anyone of anything in person. But this cleverly executed, super smart production is more than an absorbing, entertaining experience: it’s a poignant musing on life.

Temping is at Assembly George Square Studios – The Cubicle at Buccleuch Place until Sun 25 Aug 2024 at Various Times