Made Key as Helena and Matthew Sparacino as Domin. Photo by Sam Reilly.
Contemporary science fiction usually imagines the future, but We Happy Few’s production of Karl Čapek’s “R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)” adopts a distinctly old feeling, more akin to a Hitchcock thriller or an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” If you’ve heard of Karl Čapek or this play before, it might be because this was the first documented English use of the word “robot.” Originally written in 1920, Rossum’s robots are more recognizable to contemporary audiences as androids, mass-produced fleshy robots used to fulfill the labor needs of an industrialized world. Director Matt Reckeweg drew from many sources in creating the world of this play, including early science fiction, noir, thriller, fantasy, and melodrama. The result is an absolute delight to experience. By incorporating tropes from these genres into the production, Reckeweg succinctly contextualizes the play’s main concern about the destructive force of unchecked capitalism—something that feels alarmingly modern—as a struggle shared with previous generations.
…an absolute delight…an invigorating take on an overlooked classic. It is a fun, terrifying, and completely unique production.
The story centers around the human characters, mostly managers of different departments at R.U.R. They represent different viewpoints of the moral quandary surrounding the making and subjugation of robots. Throughout the play, they work together as an ensemble to sell and improve their product before they are forced to reckon with their role in the treatment of robots and humanity’s demise.
Because the production is so steeped in genres like melodrama and noir, the cast’s performances are highly stylized. Scott Whalen and Emilia Pazniokas as Radius and Sulla, the two robots most featured throughout the play, perform with an otherworldly perfection to their mechanical movements. Whalen’s Radius becomes particularly chilling as leader of the robots’ revolution, using thrashing movements and fanatical facial expressions to convey the pain, resentment, and malice of a previously suppressed population.
Made Key as Helena is particularly adept at embracing the melodramatic aspects of their character, slinking around the stage in the perfect evocation of a distressed ingenue. Matthew Sparacino embodies the ideals of 1920s masculinity as Helena’s love interest, Domin, the manager of the R.U.R. factory. He is both an ambitious and eager young lover and a hardened businessman, quick to use sexist language against Helena. Domin’s attitude is indicative of the casual sexism that occasionally pops up in the script. For example, an offhand comment about the need for female-presenting robots as secretaries might have been normal for an audience of the 1920s, but it can feel jarring to hear that today.
Paige O’Malley shines as Dr. Gall. Her character feels grounded while still exhibiting the mannerisms of a mad scientist. Shaquille Stewart’s portrayal of Busman provides an amusing counterpoint as the character who can only imagine increasing returns and money as the solution to any problem. Andrew Quilpa as Alquist is the heart of the play. His riveting performance is the least stylized and most genuinely human of the characters. The audience experiences the end of the play through Alquist’s eyes. Quilpa’s anguish and hope are visceral, and his impeccable acting haunts the audience long after the final bow.
Matt Reckeweg’s set design was both spare and evocative. Angular, sheer metallic structures arranged throughout the stage created much of the feeling of 1950s sci-fi. The immersive sound design by Mike Winch filled the space in between the structures, creating an ambiance that brought the island to life. Amy K. Bormet’s musical compositions were the backbone of this ambiance and provided one of the most thrilling parts of experiencing this play. Her compositions sounded like machinery, if that machinery was made of human voices. While the volume sometimes drowned out the actors, it also ratcheted up the tension in the more terrifying and violent scenes.
We Happy Few’s “R.U.R.” is an invigorating take on an overlooked classic. It is a fun, terrifying, and completely unique production.
Running Time: Two hours with one intermission.
“R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)” runs through November 16, 2024 presented by We Happy Few Productions at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.
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