Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Like Dorsen, its playwright, Ethan Lipton, is onstage for the duration of the show.
Look at it another way though, and theres not a human in sight.
They are our robots.
Good evening, and welcome to our demonstration, says a serene Siri-esque voiceover as the show begins.
Do you know what your objectives are?
No ones onstage yet, but the tone has already been expertly established.
No, Siri (Alexa,Jane, HAL, Clippy), I donotknow what my objectives are.
I am a walking chaos Muppet barely held together by egg-and-cheese bagels and British comfort TV.
But thanks for asking.
When our robots appear, they do so with a bop.
What do you want, my human friends, what do you want?
Musically, all Morries boys are aces, and when the Siri-v.o.
describes Liptons frontman style as amateur therapist, shes underselling him.
This robot is programmed for sincerity and support.
Hes hereas is all technology, he contendsto helpusachieve our goals.
The question is, what are those?
He doesnt have a rocketship or a billion dollars, dont listen to him.
Lipton knows that its always your own face inside Darth Vaders helmet.
Its those desires, our own essences, that might turn out to be monstrous.
Our robots arent going to leave us at the pit, though at least not this time.
As playwright, Lipton offers a gentle hand to pull us back again.
Hes not being ironic, either.
Think about how much of your life is spent not knowing, Lipton Bot encourages us.
Think about how central a role doubt plays in your decision-making …
But what happens when someone whos overconfident makes a mistake?
They cant process the data, they have no use for it.
That laugh didnt go into my lap; pretty sure the whole theater heard that one.
We Are Your Robotsis at Theatre for a New Audience through December 8.
