REVIEW: Control at New Theatre in Newtown
Emerging playwright, Keziah Warner, displays an aptitude for dialogue and comedy with some light-handed social proselytising in her new play, Control. Comprised of three one-act stories loosely connected by situations, this play is a cautionary tale about climate, A.I. and celebrity culture.
In the opening story, the action takes place on a spaceship headed for Mars with four passengers on board – two male, two female. Mars is now known as “New Earth” because Earth as we knew it has succumbed to climate change and other bad things. This crew is part of an experiment to populate the red planet. We soon learn that the crew is also participating in a type of reality show: a red light representing a camera hovers above the stage; a buzzer goes off if someone swears or mis-speaks; a deep, unnatural voice gives instructions or holds interviews at various intervals. The cast are in grey, drab tracksuits and the set is equally monochromatic and minimalist.
There are some very funny lines an it’s an interesting premise, but this scene suffers the same fault as the two that follow – it goes on for just a bit too long.
The second story is set in a sort of customer service department of “The Museum of Childhood Memories”. It is staffed by humans and androids who are custodians of a database that stores the memories of every single human being. People can be access a memory on request but memories can never be deleted. Authorised personnel may also view a person’s memories. There are some cogent issues raised here regarding storage of personal data and the threat of a past that can’t be hidden or erased. There’s also insightful humour in the juxtaposing of humans with nimble, nuanced intellect and androids who can only think within a limited framework.
The final story is the most poignant. An android is being “trained” by a human to prepare it for its role as a school teacher. The android is a blank slate in terms of personality, and the trainer needs to keep tweaking emotional ingredients to create a suitable temperament. This scene is quite moving and an astute observation of just how complex we humans are.
An ensemble cast does a great job here, and though the play, performed without intermission, could definitely use some editing, overall, it is clever, wise, and entertaining.
