Science fiction is never really about the future; it’s about the present. The best works of sci-fi remain relevant over time, though, because what they have to say about the human condition is fundamental and never goes out of fashion.
I first saw
Keziah Warner’s play Control at Red Stitch in 2019 and I called it “oneof the best shows I’ve seen on stage this year” and I’ve followed Warner’s work
ever since. It also inspired a play I wrote a few years ago, though I didn’t
remember how directly until I saw the play again last night in a production by
flatpack at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory space.
The work is
a triptych – three stories: one set on a space ship racing towards Mars as part
of a reality TV show, one set at a museum of childhood memories in Melbourne
and one set on New Earth, as a woman tries to program an android to be human.
The stories reference and resonate with each other. Each story builds on the
last to create a vast tapestry exploring control and personal identity.
Since Control
premiered, Jeff Bezos has sent celebrities into space and chat bots have mutated
into ChatGPT and the work of artists all over the world is being stolen to
create A.I. slop. Warner’s insightful script was questioning in its first
production and now the script feels like yet another science fiction tale whose
warnings haven’t been heeded. It was about 2019 and now it’s even more about
2025.
Unfortunately,
this new production doesn’t bring the text fully to life. There’s a lot of
humour in the play that isn’t hooked into; moments that could be lively and comical
are flattened by the drama. Lachlan Herring is the stand-out as the Aussie bloke
in the first story, who has been cast in the reality show for his laconic
humour and his drive for heroics.
The second
section is oddly static; two actors trapped behind a desk that acts like a
barrier to connection. It does give Alex Duncan his moment to shine as the
women’s android boss, who is human-like but easily foiled by his tricky
employees. There’s some comic mastery in these moments that is lacking
elsewhere.
Only the
third story, a two-hander between actors Seon Williams and Faran Martin creates
a genuine emotional resonance. Williams’ performance as the android is
excellent, finely-tuned and discovering the character’s humanity in
beautifully-judged fits and starts. Martin’s human character is also carefully drawn
and the two make wonderful sparring partners.
Director
Olivia Staaf has chosen to let one too many moments in the show linger for
effect, which is a real shame. What I love about the script is how it alludes
to a wider world without feeling like it needs to explain itself.
Designer
Silvia Weijia Shao has created a modular set and some detailed props that are cleverly
evocative of the different settings throughout the play. Lili Wymond’s sound
design is full and rich, while Ami Salinas’ projections are deployed at the
exact right time to keep the audience on edge.
Overall,
though, I think the length of the show could be tightened and the moments of
humour exploited to their fullest extent. It would make the work feel a bit
more well-rounded and allow the script to really sing.
Control is playing at the Explosives
Factory until November 1
Comments