Riverside Studios – until 21st April 2024
Reviewed by Heather Chalkley
4****
Talented playwright Aaron Thakar has his debut with this current and thought provoking play about AI. You are drawn in by the human relationships, the humour that brings with it, and the concept of AI potentially becoming a relationship guidance service within your very home.
Leslie Ash (Pippa) is a believable character that will resonate with many single women of a certain age. Paul Giddings (Martin) blends with Ash (Pippa) in a way that only couples that have been together for a long time can, despite being divorced. The comfortable body language and inevitable arguments are cleverly written and directed. Jake Mavis (Noah) delivers perfectly timed shallowness and depth to his character, surprising us all by his youthful insight. Ella Jarvis (Ellie) his girlfriend, together bringing the most laughs. Jarvis (Ellie) is intense and emotional, creating a great drunken scene that lays bare all her feelings of inadequacy, that so many people will relate too. It gets hilariously ugly! The dependency that Ash (Aaron Thakar) has on the AI advisor Agape (Katherine Moran), is a great vehicle for expressing his feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty in his relationship with Lilah (Destiny Mayers). Mayers (Lilah) is strong in her stage debut as a successful career woman that struggles with Ash’s dependence on Agape. The key take away is they are all human with very human emotions, that need a critical friend in times of crisis, however small.
The central character is Agape (Moran). Sitting centre stage in their homes, looking like any innocent virtual assistant. Smooth talking with an uncomfortable level of intrusion into their lives that is accepted immediately by the characters. The play revolves around the impact that it has on the relationship dynamics. Perhaps it goes a little too far. Perhaps this is the future. This plausible development of AI is cleverly conceived and comes with a warning. It raises the question, do we need AI to repair every relationship? Perhaps some are better broken.
Aaron Thaker (writer) and Ella Jarvis (producer) teamed up with Director Hannah Mcleod, make an impactful team with a bright future ahead of them.