The Machine Stops at the York Theatre Royal Review
The Machine Stops
York Theatre Royal
13 May to 4 June 2016
Reviewed by Tracey Flintham
Last night I went to see The Machine Stops, a short story written by E.M. Forster and adapted for the stage by Neil Duffield. The play was in the Studio which is a smaller more intimate theatre which has three rows of seats and a central stage.
The story is based in a post-apocalyptic world where humans now live under the surface and life is supported by The Machine which caters for every need, providing lighting, food and medical assistance. Every person has the same hexagonal shaped room with only a chair and a machine manual inside. They have the concept they no longer need to travel and stay confined to their rooms and communicate only by video messaging. Education is delivered via video messaging in the form of lectures and the humans seemingly believe everything they are told either by the machine or lectures.
The story follows the life of Vashti and her son Kuno. Kuno has a desire to learn and questions what else may still be above the surface of the Earth and is concerned the machine may stop. His mother is quite alarmed and sees no need for this as she firmly believes the machines provides everything the human race could ever need and doesn’t believe that the machine could falter or stop.
Photo by Ben Bentley
The production is quite simplistic with a cast of four people, an actress as Vashti and an actor as Kuno with two members playing the part of the machine and we see them very energetically scrambling around the set, moving wires and explaining more about the machine. The performance of all four characters was outstanding and was accompanied by brilliant sound effects.
Although the play was written in 1909 it is very thought provoking in today’s age when we have a vast array of technology and the human race is increasingly using similar technology to that foreseen in the play.
York Theatre Royal is easily located in York and accessible by bus and local carparks. I parked in Bootham Terrace carpark which was a £2 charge for the evening. There are cafes and bars in the theatre if you need to eat before the performance serving a good selection of food and drinks.
All in all a very thought provoking evening and well worth a visit!
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £14 to £16 (booking fees may apply).
The Machine Stops is at the York Theatre Royal until 4 June 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01904 623568.
York Theatre Royal, St. Leonard’s Place, York, YO1 7HD | 01904 623568
