Review: ASSISTED, Omnibus Theatre

Artificial Intelligence is slowly invading the creative industry. From overseas writers striking in order to prevent its (mis)use in film and television to our own stages displaying the fruits of ChatGPT, it might be necessary to start a conversation on how to implement it for the benefit of drama. Omnibus Theatre is doing so head-first with a festival designed to explore the link between artists and AI. ASSISTED opens this experimental line-up with an intriguing look at domesticity.

The debut production of Oxia Theatre sees Connie and Jordan grappling with the role of their virtual assistant in their evolving relationship. The concept could be straight out of an episode of Black Mirror with Jordan’s increasingly obsessive reliance on technology and Connie’s reluctance to give up her agency. While Greg Wilkinson’s play is incredibly thought-provoking, the majority of its themes are offered and then left unexplored. AI becomes the incidental catalyst for the downfall of the couple, but there’s more to it than that.

It feels like there are two projects in one. Their troubled cohabitation doesn’t falter specifically because of Alivia (voiced by Jessica Muna), it crumbles because of the astounding ill-fittedness of the pair. The added plot about the voice assistant makes them blame it, but ASSISTED ultimately speaks about toxic masculinity and the damage it causes. The issues between Jordan and Connie have their roots beyond the tech. Jordan is a deeply misogynistic man who believes a system of servitude is what made people successful in the past. 

Alivia’s default setting is to present itself as a compliant woman, but Jordan leans into this and betrays his real feelings towards the female gender. Connie, on the other hand, is the grey-scale that sits between Jordan’s black-and-white view of the world. He understands life as the pursuit of efficiency; she sees the beauty of living. They’re both largely unwilling to bend and compromise.

The script is a mixed bag of literary flourishes and overly prettified exchanges. It reads well, but, once on stage, it occasionally sounds somewhat too fictitious to stick entirely. This is true for the performances too. Graham Butler-Breen gives Jordan a positively insufferable vein with a natural flair and impeccable pace, but Emma Wilkinson Wright - perhaps due to the text itself - sometimes ends up feeling artificial in her delivery.

Filler scenes meant to establish the integration of the AI in their lives and extended transitions stump the rhythm of the show, making it run slightly too long for what it is at this point. Nonetheless, the piece has extraordinary potential, there’s plenty that’s begging to be expanded and further analysed. Wilkinson has an impressive eye; the core of his reasoning raises valid questions about our dependence on technology and the inevitable effects this has on our personal sphere and perceptions. It’s a provocative and immensely fascinating topic.

ASSISTED runs at Omnibus Theatre as part of their AI Festival.

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