DramaLondonReview

Eugene – Camden People’s Theatre, London

Reviewer: Jamie Barnes

Writer: Daniel Nicholas

Director: Emily Howlett

Fresh from its debut run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2021, Eugene is a comedic, thought-provoking, and thoroughly modern one-man show that comfortably occupies the space between conventional and immersive theatre.

Played out as a technology launch, the show introduces Eugene, an artificial intelligence supercomputer, and later, its creator, known only as Hugh(Nicholas). Eugene has been created to solve the world’s problems, and Hugh has decided to use the launch to demonstrate Eugene’s abilities by solving one of the biggest issues of the modern world; climate change. However, as audiences have come to expect from anything involving AI, something is bound to go wrong.

The first ten minutes of the show involve a rather surreal interaction between Eugene and the audience through a slideshow presentation. Although the distinct lack of performer is somewhat unfamiliar, the sequence is engaging, and provides a good warm-up for the audience to get used to the level and intensity of the interaction that takes place over the course of the show. The character of Hugh is undeniably dynamic, and his magnetic (but tragic) persona and his bright yellow trousers registers somewhere between Elon Musk and a Disney villain in his personality and mannerisms.

Eugene is a show that requires full attention to make the most of it, with your focus being guided to where it needs to be. The audience are addressed by Hugh, but also by Eugene, via their smartphones, in messages that are not visible to Hugh. While this is entertaining and well-timed, it does require the audience to know when to look at their phones and when to look at Hugh, and the distraction caused by the change in attention does cause moments to be missed. However, the innovative format in which technology is used makes the show a completely unique experience, both in concept and execution.

Eugene also takes time to address the moral issues involving AI, such as what we trust, such as what we trust computers to do and how far we are willing to go in terms of control. The balance between the comedic and dramatic make for a well-rounded show.

Reviewed on 9 November 2021

The Reviews Hub Score

Modern and Memorable

Show More
Photo of The Reviews Hub - London

The Reviews Hub - London

The Reviews Hub London is under the acting editorship of Richard Maguire. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

Related Articles

Back to top button
The Reviews Hub