By Staff Writer
If you could upgrade to another human body, any body, would you do it? After answering that question you may well be on a path to creative discussions about subjects like extending life indefinitely, and the moral, social, economic consequences of doing so. This is exactly why Rogue Machine offers these innovative works.
This winter Rogue Machine Theatre continues to raise the bar, and many questions, while leaving audiences to work out the solutions. Offering two plays with glimmers of hope for future possibilities, both are crafted by two extraordinary playwrights who build complex worlds with precise internal logic. Both plays allow us to see our own world and ourselves, with fresh eyes.
In Neil McGowan’s world premiere, “Disposable Necessities,” he predicts a future where we can live forever. But, should we or would we want to? The essential question becomes: If life doesn’t have an expiration date, can we ever truly appreciate it?
“Rogue Machine scores again…in line with the venerable company’s pursuit of new, quirky, envelope pushing productions…loads of laughs” – Hollywood Progressive
“Relentlessly clever… terrific cast. WOW!” – StageSceneLA
The query plays out around a family’s miscommunication when some of them heartily embrace their options to live forever while others, deeply affected by those choices, defend the natural order of life.
“McGowan is a take no prisoners humorist, but beneath the hilarity there’s a darkness lurking…in traditional Rogue Machine fashion. This story poses a wonderful future for mankind, along with some consequential questions that must be considered. It’s a premise that Neil exploits brilliantly, finding true comic hilarity in the horror,” says Artistic Director John Perrin Flynn.
In January, Mike Bartlett’s “Earthquakes in London” will open and run in rep with “Disposable Necessities.” This west coast premiere is an immensely powerful and inventive play about climate change, precisely because it is about so much more than its theme. A portrait created through the eyes of a modern family while struggling to make sense of it all during a time of societal disconnect, corporate greed, and fractures within their own lives.
“Bartlett beautifully combines domestic and cosmic issues…the play is humane, multi-stranded. It is, in every sense, a big play that has the courage of its convictions.” – The Guardian
The two plays together give audiences a look at what may be in store for our future, but not necessarily what should be.
Use Code WESTSIDE for $10 off each ticket
“Disposable Necessities” running through February 3, 2020
“Earthquakes in London” opens January 11, 2020
Rogue Machine is in the Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave. Venice CA 90291. Tickets are $40 (students $25). Pay-What-You-Want: $10 minimum on 2/30; $20 minimum on 1/20 (At the door only, opens 1 hour before performance). For schedule and reservations: 855-585-5185 or at http://www.roguemachinetheatre.net
Twitter: @RogueMachineLA, Instagram: @RogueMachineTheatre; FB: https://www.facebook.com/RogueMachineTheatre
