Review of Robot – the marching machine in the next version of the sci-fi classic | Theater

Mef our world is currently boldly imagining a new future of generative AI and artificial intelligence, Karel Čapek’s 1920 play RUR: Rossum’s Universal Robots proves the idea of ​​robot consciousness and rebellion is not a new concern. So is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which Čapek’s play parallels in its philosophical arguments and moral warnings, despite its futurism.

Ella Road adapts Čapek’s play to our times To the head and Schwarzman Center co-production, its science was apparently informed by research from Oxford University experts, which gives it an interesting, real support of the world.

This part is shown as the office of the company, which is also called RUR, which is creating humanoids by mixing human flesh and blood with codes and data in its headquarters on the island (beautiful, green leaves and design by Loren Elstein). Dom (Trevor Fox) is the boss of the company – “dom” in more ways than he has Secretary, S & M romance and personal assistant robot, Sulla (Tiffany Gray).

An activist, Helen (Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́), who also happens to be the Prime Minister’s daughter, enters the island to protest against the rebels. They think that robots are intelligent beings whose “human” rights should be protected. The plot develops when the company develops its brand (Umi Myers), and then begins a relationship with Ali (Irfan Shamji), one of the few people on the island.

Directed by Roy Alexander Weise, this article contains many philosophical discussions about science, reproduction and humanity. This is the problem in the first half where every scene has the possibility of presenting an ethical or ontological conflict.

There is discussion of whether robots can develop feelings and desires, as seen with the robot Helen (Myers), who falls in love with Helen and Ali. Along with Helen’s belief that the robots have souls (though she seems to have changed her mind by the end), there are also concerns about loyalty – is Dom cheating on his wife by having an affair with Sulla the robot? Like Frankenstein’s monster, robots begin to fight for their reproductive rights and the question of whether they should be allowed, morally, to roam.

The pace picks up in the second half and there is a sharp, unexpected turn. It is modern in its humor too; Helen is known as a “Marxist Trustafarian”, and the trembling of Sulla, followed by his rebellion, is very interesting. It’s a picaresque version of the robot apocalypse, not a warning for its laughs, but a cartoon too small to be entertaining.