The Play: Your Name Means Dream by Jose Rivera
The Company: The Red Stitch Theatre Company
The Theatre: Red Stitch Theatre, St Kilda
Until 24 November
Stars: 4
In an effort to get a bit more culture into me, and after being blown away by the Red Stitch's production of Iphiginia in Splott, I purchased a ticket to Your Name Means Dream. It turned out to be a great move.
The Red Stitch Actor's Theatre is my type of place. Intimate. Topical. Out there. They put on interesting, challenging plays, performed by top calibre actors. What's not to love?
Your Name Means Dream starts out when we meet Aislin (Caroline Lee) who is coming to terms with her new carer Stacy (Lucy Ansell). Stacy is a robot, and AI enhanced robot who should be able to get to know her charge and develop a relationship with her, but Aislin is having none of it.
The concept of the play is thought provoking. Will aged care be farmed out to AI? Do we have, as a human race, the ability to have a relationship with AI at this time of life.
Jose Rivera's play is as funny as it is touching. Making this work even more is the performances. Caroline Lee is pitch perfect at the irascible Aislin, ailing, bitter and feeling hopeless. Lucy Ansell's Stacy blew me away. As something who has a big dislike for AI, she brought an incredible depth to Stacy. The physicality associated with the character, acting as a robot, who appears to be on the edge of human, is extraordinary. At times, I thought I was watching a robot.
Kat Henry's direction is sensitive, but she also brings out the humour and pathos in this very relevant play.
As this only has two days left in its run, it's a pity more won't be able to see this. And although the play leaves more questions that you'd like answered, it is a fantastic look at aging and the world we may become.
I'm very glad I got to see this, particulary for Lee and Ansell's wonderful performances.
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