Southwark Playhouse
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At first glance, the play seemed to discuss the possibility of creating artificial intelligence with the capacity to feel and hold emotions. However, as the play progressed, it became apparent that the real message was that humans are the monsters rather than the artificial intelligence, because humans create problems but never solve them. Although Shell was the one who physically committed the acts of violence, Victoria was arguably the one responsible because she made the explicit decision not to destroy her creation. The ethical dilemma between shutting down the machine (which could have been considered as murder because Shell was able to feel emotions) and forcing it to live in an isolated location without companionship was brilliantly explored through fierce, riveting dialogue between Victoria and Shell. I found Lusack’s performance particularly impressive because, as the play progressed, her body language and gestures became decreasingly forced and robotic, which subtly suggested to the audience that Shell was becoming more human. This raised more questions as to whether Shell deserved the right to live and reproduce. Furthermore, Lusack’s loud, terrifying vocal characterisation towards the end of the play commanded the audience’s attention and had me gripping on to the edge of my seat. What I found most poignant was the short scene where the refugee family with whom Shell was staying were confronting her, because it highlighted for me how we as humans have lost our compassion and humanity. Instead of listening to what she had to say, the refugee family pushed her away, even though she was only trying to find a place to fit in (after being abandoned by Victoria), just like they were.
This production also delved into the issue of technology taking over our lives, which was explored with the intertwining plot lines of the narrator/Garth (played by Sonny Poon Tip), who made virtual reality content, as well as the father of Victoria, who gave talks on how phones were controlling people. Although I did not feel these side plotlines were completely necessary to the overall storyline, I did like how there was a sense of the whole play being in a video, or documentary, rather than being a portrayal of real life. Whenever Garth regained control of the plotline and wanted the audience to focus on one part of the story, Poon Tip would press play on his remote control, which made me feel as if I were watching a video lesson of what the human race could become if we were to actually fully develop artificial intelligence. I also really enjoyed the physical theatre sequence of sharp, robotic moves performed by the whole company, as lab researchers, at the beginning of the play, because it immediately set up a claustrophobic, sinister mood for the rest of the play to follow.
One of my favourite aspects of the production was the set design. The traverse stage was cleverly designed in such a way that there always seemed to be a division between the world of humans and the world of the artificial intelligence. The end of the traverse that represented the world of humans was always lit with a warm straw wash and had a comfortable armchair, whilst the other end had a bunk bed structure, wrapped with strings of lights that glowed white, which acted as the ship that the polar expedition team travelled on. The contrast between the warm hues on one side and the harsh, clinical white on the other worked well to constantly remind the audience of the danger of technology. I especially liked the way that the string of lights suddenly flashed brightly when Shell first woke up, almost as if they were electrical pulses coming from the machine itself. During the scenes in the Arctic, the long, squiggly lines on the traverse stage lit up, which I felt was perfect in encapsulating the coldness of the Arctic. |
Another unique aspect of the play was the use of virtual reality. At one point, each member of the audience was instructed to put on their virtual reality headsets, which transported the audience to the Arctic on the polar expedition. From there, the video transitioned into the perspective of Shell and, suddenly, the audience saw a replay of many events that they had just seen occur on stage, but all in the viewpoint of Shell, which I found thought-provoking, as the audience were allowed to experience and empathise with the emotions felt by the robot. Despite the virtual reality being a very cool feature, which also allowed for more actor-audience engagement, I felt that it was perhaps added in as an extra gimmick, because the idea of Garth communicating with his sister (who led the polar expedition) via virtual reality seemed unnecessary to the development of the storyline and, unfortunately, added to the confusion that I already felt with the extensive intertwining of plotlines.
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Overall, I found Frankenstein to be a thought-provoking production, exploring potential dangers that could arise in the development of technology in the future, whilst also discussing important, topical issues, such as humans working to help each other in times of need, rather than abandoning each other, which seems especially relevant at a time when political isolationism seems to be increasingly prevalent. As Director Emily Gray and Writer Carl Miller said, “Frankenstein has always seemed ferociously relevant to each new development in human ‘progress’.” I would recommend this production to anyone over the age of 11, who enjoys a brilliantly staged production that forces you to think.