Disposable Necessities
Reviewed by Terry Morgan
Rogue Machine Theatre
Through February 3
The adage, “Youth is wasted on the young,” is generally attributed to George Bernard Shaw, a man who didn’t lack for adages. The idea that youth can also be wasted on the old is one of the undercurrents that powers Neil McGowan’s play, Disposable Necessities, a science fiction comedy/drama that posits a future in which extended life or immortality is technically possible, but only for the rich. It’s an interesting premise, and a talented cast runs with it in this world premiere production at Rogue Machine in Venice. Ultimately, however, the play’s effective elements and scenes don’t add up to a greater whole.
[Mild spoilers follow.] In the year 2095, the technology exists to transfer the mind of one person into the body of another, meaning that people who have the money can, in theory, delay death indefinitely. These transfers can also be implemented simply to keep life fresh, or to change sex or race or age on a whim.
Daniel (Darrett Sanders), a middle-aged author, is not an enthusiastic supporter of this way of life. His wife Al (Billy Flynn), though born female, is happier as a male, while his son, Chadwick (Jefferson Reid), switches bodies frequently and is now a young African American man. By contrast, his long-estranged daughter Dee (Ann Noble) has ethical issues with body-switching; after she returns home to speak to her family, everything changes.
Sanders has the unenviable role of a man who mostly reacts to all the craziness around him, but he does get to reveal more about Daniel as the play goes on — his world weariness and his suppressed morality. Noble gives vivid expression not only to Dee’s anger but to her underlying and contradictory feelings of joy and despair. The two actors share the most powerful scene in the play, in which father and daughter are having an important conversation when Daniel reaches out to touch Dee’s hand. The emotion this stirs seems about to overpower her, so he quickly pulls back, with a depth of feeling confirmed but not long indulged. It’s a lovely moment.
Claire Blackwelder gives a funny and fully committed performance as Daniel’s friend Phil, and Reid is quite good as the immature Chadwick, who tries out his latest body and race selections as if they were amusing toys. Finally, the charismatic Flynn is terrific as Al (short for Alice), a person who has found personal fulfillment in her choices. Flynn plays Al’s different relationships within the story — as mother, wife, etc. — with unshowy skill, in an impressive portrayal.
Director Guillermo Cienfuegos gets strong work from his actors, but the play’s first act is weighed down with a lot of exposition while some of its science fiction trappings (a virtual internet, earpod-type phones you can’t see) are less convincing than they might be. On the other hand, McGowan’s writing is sharp and humorous and creative, and the moral questions he poses in the second act are intriguing if somewhat theoretical. The main problem with the piece is the abstract nature of its central premise, which seems too distant from our current reality to make the drama electrifying or genuinely provocative. Instead, what we get is more a clever intellectual exercise than a satisfying play.
Rogue Machine in the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice; Sun., 7 p.m. on 12/29; Mon., 8 p.m. on 12/30; in repertory in 2020 — check schedule; through Feb. 3. www.roguemachinetheatre.com. Running time: approximately two hours and eight minutes with one intermission.
