Tuesday, November 5

Tag: Jake Mavis

Michaela’s Fluent Aphasia – Bush Theatre
London

Michaela’s Fluent Aphasia – Bush Theatre

This play’s tongue twister title is aptly representative of the confusion its performance elicits in audiences. The direction is uninspired and although not entirely difficult to follow, neither is it enticing enough to engender much investment in the play’s plot or characters. The non-linear nature of Christina Carrafiell’s script most severely hampers this process and results in plot twists that feel like a dog chasing its own tail rather than a cohesive narrative unfurling. Individual scenes are punctuated with sharp, immediate, and absolute blackouts but despite the story featuring multiple shifts in time and place the elements of set and costume remain completely static. The play’s cast of four is forced then to flutter around the playing field without any grounding context ...
Artificially Yours – Riverside Studios
London

Artificially Yours – Riverside Studios

You can’t escape talk about AI these days. Whether it’s dubious photo editing or a dodgy script in an ill-fated Willy Wonka experience, this tech has well and truly permeated our collective consciousness, so it comes as no surprise that it’s starting to be explored through theatre. Enter: Aaron Thakar’s Artificially Yours, playing its first-ever run at Riverside Studios until 21st April. The play revolves around the domestic lives of three couples: Pippa and Martin (Leslie Ash and Paul Giddings), Lilah and Ash (Destiny Mayers and Aaron Thakar), and Ellie and Noah (Ella Jarvis and Jake Mavis) — all of whom have welcomed Agapē, the AI-powered virtual relationship therapist, into their homes. Each couple navigates various disputes that one person in the relationship believes can be reso...