Review: THE VIRTUAL FAMILY at TAFE-Theatre Arts For Everyone

The Virtual Family, Jeremy Johnson's first published play, explores the intricacies of a world so dependent on technology. Published in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, this play is humorous and utterly relatable. Now through July 5th, audiences can enjoy a production of The Virtual Family virtually. Directed by Gina Wagner, this TAFE (Theatre Arts for Everyone) production features a talented cast and crew ranging in age from 10-77! The Virtual Family is a series of sketches that can be performed as a whole show. It tells the story of a family-Mom, Dad, Grandma, Son, Daughter, Cat, and Kitten-examining their relationships with one another and with technology.

The first scene is one of the most hilarious. In this scene, Mom, played by Jennifer DiMercurio, interacts with AALIX, portrayed by Sofia DiMercurio. AALIX is an artificial intelligence, like Alexa, that can look up information, play music, and so forth. Sofia DiMercurio maintains a perfectly flat affect, showing no emotion in her face or her robotic voice-not an easy feat! Hilarity ensues as Mom, searching for a turkey meatball recipe, talks to AALIX as if she were a real person and AALIX continually misunderstands Mom's commands. Jennifer DiMercurio uses her facial expressions and vocal tone to display the frustrations we're all familiar with dealing with technology that doesn't always work the way we think it should. It is a brilliant scene that is delightful to watch in the hands of the DiMercurios.

As the play progresses, we meet Dad (Montez Ritter), Grandma (Priscilla McFerren), Son (Kalil Nasrani), Daughter (Talia Lamb), Cat (Rosie Gray), and Kitten (Anne Gray). Ritter delivers all of his "dad jokes" with great comedic timing. He particularly shines in his scene with Toothbrush, played by Haven Simmons. Yes, that's right, Toothbrush. Dad gets an app that allows him to interview electric toothbrushes to replace the one that broke. Simmons shows off her comedy chops as her character takes on three different personas in an attempt to get Dad to make a purchase.

McFerren portrays Grandma, who actually does quite well with technology, but sometimes needs some help from her grandchildren. McFerren highlights Grandma's enthusiasm for Pinterest in such a way that it is infectious, and the audience will certainly empathize with her confusion over the complexities of technology. Nasrani's Son is so realistic in his extreme irritation with being the technology guru for his family that parents and grandparents watching will be ready to ground him on the spot.

Daughter is one of the most complex characters, as she talks about her feelings concerning virtual school and being isolated from her friends. Lamb gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, making Daughter one of the most relatable characters in the show. One of the funniest scenes for Daughter is her disastrous exercise session with Mom and Fab. Fab, played by Crystal Ganong, is a virtual exercise program. Ganong infuses the character with high energy, and the reactions from Daughter when Fab scolds her for slacking are hilarious.

Rosie and Anne Gray portray the family pets-Cat and Kitten. Between their costumes and their cat-like mannerisms (like paw-licking), it is easy to think of them as cats. Cat has a wonderful scene with Bobert. Bobert is a cleaning robot, similar to the Roomba. When Cat expresses concern about whether Bobert might try to get her tail, her expression is simply endearing. Matt Bahn takes on the role of Bobert. Bahn does a great job of portraying the full range of Bobert's personality-from excited and happy to serve to overwhelmed, overworked, and in need of maintenance.

Throughout the performance, the cast brings out the complex relationship between people and technology-our dependence on it, our frustrations with it, and our need to sometimes separate ourselves from it. This family friendly show will have audiences laughing out-loud in their own living rooms. Visit www.tafepa.org for tickets to this online production as well as information on upcoming auditions and performances for their return to in person shows.

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