Welcome Home
Old Red Lion Theatre
Reviewed – 27th August 2018
★★★
“a humorous and engaging script that is delivered well on stage”
In a world where artificial intelligence is playing a key role in our lives, it seems hugely appropriate that theatre should explore it and the impact it has on human life. In Welcome Home, we are introduced to two young women, Jess and Enoch, who live together with an aBode, “the market leader in home assistance”. The aBode does everything from controlling the apartment’s security and surveillance to ordering groceries. The two housemates barely need to lift a finger as almost all daily tasks are taken care of with ease. However, it soon transpires the aBode may have sinister intentions and does not merely exist to provide assistance to the two housemates.
Amali Jazeel (Enoch) and Jemma Burgess (Jess) are convincing as housemates who appear to get on, but also clash occasionally. The two actors keep up a good level of energy throughout and hold the audience’s attention well. Sarah Cahill (both writer and director) has produced a humorous and engaging script that is delivered well on stage. Even during the darker sections of the play, humour is still found within lines from the aBode and its interactions with Enoch and Jess. The aBode glows blue and changes to red in more sinister moments, which makes for a nice design element.
Running at just over half an hour, the play is a little on the short side and could benefit from an extended running time, allowing for more of a build-up of the story and a chance for us to learn about the characters and scenarios in more depth.
A dark, yet entertaining exploration of the power and impact of artificial intelligence, Welcome Home is highly relevant for modern audiences. It should, no doubt, prompt discussion surrounding the rate at which technology is progressing and audiences’ own use of it, as well as the potential artificial intelligence has to grow.
Reviewed by Emily K Neal
Welcome Home
Old Red Lion Theatre
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