Theatre review: The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, by Azuka Theatre
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
"Can we connect through our machines? Dare we connect with them?"
"The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence" by Azuka Theatre.
Johanna Austin via Theatre Philadelphia
Johanna Austin via Theatre Philadelphia
Love and science cleverly converge in Madeleine George’s *The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence, in which an unlikely string of “real” Watsons — Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant, Sherlock Holmes’ companion and the Jeopardy-winning super computer — are joined by the next generation of Emotionally Intelligent Robots and an earnest present-day Dweeb Team computer nerd, Josh Watson.
All these Watsons somehow affect Frank and Eliza Merrick’s marriage, whether in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories or the modern world. “Better living through technology” is tested along various points in modern development, asking provocative questions: can we connect through our machines? Dare we connect with them?
In director Allison Heishman’s clever and earnest Azuka Theatre production, Griffin Stanton-Ameisen plays all the Watsons with selflessly subservient good cheer; they’re repeatedly described as “trustworthy.” Corinna Burns’ Eliza, in all her incarnations, finds all the Watsons attractive yet puzzling, but learns from them how to connect with David Bardeen’s Franks, whose peripatetic boorishness (particularly as an Ayn Rand-quoting modern politician) doesn’t overwhelm his humanity.
Dirk Durossette’s handsomely substantial set allows for easy changes between time periods with lots of surprises, lit colorfully by Chris Hallenbeck. Janus Stefanowicz’s costumes likewise expedite quick changes from one era to another.
Novelist and playwright J.B. Priestley famously said, nearly a century ago, “The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” In *The Watson Intelligence, Eliza echoes him: “It’s always a stroke of luck to connect with one another … connection isn’t elegant, or precise, or rational.” Nevertheless, George’s fun play demonstrates, humans will find ways to connect.
Through Nov. 23, $20 - 35, Azuka Theatre at the Off-Broad Street Theater, 1636 Sansom St., 215-563-1100, AzukaTheatre.org.
