The Chemistry Test
Rating: ★★
Venue: Stage Door Theatre, London
Cast: Jack Cray and Hannah Adams

In this ever increasing digital age, two Artificial Intelligences, Steve and Evie, have been tasked with showing humankind that it’s more important than ever to get out from behind the screen and form genuine human-to-human connections.

If they fail, mankind will become a soullessly transactional society. In their last stage of training before being dispatched to Earth, Steve and Evie must pass off as a convincing human couple; revealing just a hint of their true identities will bring the whole mission crashing down.

This one act Sc–Fi comedy introduces us to two Artificial Intelligences whose role is to convince the audience that they are a genuine, human couple - that they understand the nuances of romance and the intricacies of being in a relationship and then messiness that sometimes comes along with it.

Although I was drawn in by the premise of the show, it fell flat for me. The audience was not warned that there would be an element of audience participation - although this was a small and charming theatre, I would have anticipated a bit of a warning as this is something that I personally do not enjoy at a show. At the very least, it is helpful to inform visitors upon arrival. Steve and Evie begin the show in their testing chambers, displaying an attempt at physical romance, knowing this is a crucial part of a human relationship that they must develop.

Ultimately, they are working towards convincing the audience that they are a genuine couple, and to do that, they must create a believable backstory. The two recreate their take on a meet-cute at a coffee shop, a modern trope that they piece together as part of what could make them believable - something different than the typical dating app matches. Through the remainder of the show, we see the couple being interviewed about their relationship, being asked the tough questions to see if their story can hold up. The stand-alone highlight for me was a scene in which Steve and Evie simulate a dinner with friends, as the comedy in this scene improvised well and got the audience chuckling.

I enjoyed the gumption that Hannah Adams brought to Evie’s character, displaying a desire and need to be successful - for herself and for the test. The continued reiteration of wanting to be successful is something I’m sure many women can relate to and I found this to be one of the more believable human-like qualities she displayed.

It is worth noting that the elements of the Engineer narrating the show was well utilized and it paired well with the use of lighting throughout the show. There was a balance between the two characters being left alone just long enough that the audience may forget that they are watching an AI test play out, before the Engineer swoops in to announce that they have in fact failed one of their testing attempts.

With roots at Edinburgh fringe, this sci-fi comedy lacks strong writing and often left it feeling uncomfortable to watch. The storyline became difficult to understand as it went on, moving away from ‘comedy’ and into an other-worldly and confusing resolution.

Designed to make the audience consider what the future will bring if we cannot grapple with AI, this show attempts comedic lines and a variation of slapstick comedy and emotion, to (maybe?) remind us that the future could be very bleak if AI were to blur the lines between romance and robot.

You can book tickets to The Chemistry Test, here.

Review by Miranda

**photo credit: Jules Porter**