iAm

From Charlie Brooker’s ‘Black Mirror’ to Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’, our relationship with technology has been creeping us out a lot recently. SPID theatre company is jumping on the bandwagon. In this interactive play, the audience becomes a small focus group, brought together to test a new product: the iAm, a humanoid whose sole function is to please people.
 
Walking down the steps into the eerie setting of Kensal House Estate in Ladbroke Grove, audience members are immediately immersed in the play. They are given a name-card and told to sit with the other participants. One by one you’re called out and led into a tiny room with a very convincing Dr Gray (Scott Brooksbank). Not phased by nervous giggles or awkwardness, the doctor looks you directly in the eye and asks three ethical questions.
 
Depending on your answers, you are divided into three separate groups (expect to be split from your friends) and provided with your own human robots to play with. There’s a competitive element to the games that’s engaging and helps to break the ice. The actors playing the iAms are largely believable. They can switch accents and improvise to challenging commands. They even manage to remain straight-faced as one senior woman writes ‘Group Sex’ on her post-it note when asked what makes her happy. There are definitely some funny moments.
 
This would be a great first half to the play but, unfortunately, it makes up the entirety of the production. With an interesting – although no longer original – concept and some good actors, the play is begging for plot development. And despite being enjoyable, there are moments when it feels more like a corporate team-building day. There are apparently alternative endings and a glimmer of more story towards the end, but it’s wrapped up all too quickly. Walking back into the waiting room, you’re left waiting for the big twist that never comes.