Sex with Robots and Other Devices
Kings Head Theatre, London

MAYBE it’s out of fascination or perhaps out of of fear but robots abound at the moment, whether onstage in Thomas Eccleshare’s Instructions for Correct Assembly at the Royal Court Theatre or on TV in Westworld.

In Eccleshare’s play, parents replace their dead son with a robot equivalent while in Westworld rich clients visit a Western-themed “park” populated by robots who’ll cater to your every sexual, or violent, whim.

Nessah Muthy’s play Sex with Robots and Other Devices picks up the thread by asking us what robots might mean both for our intimate connections and the relationship between sex and sentience.

The script ticks along briskly, taking us through different scenarios in which sex with a robot might occur — as when a young couple look to heal from a past trauma, a man reconstructs a moment with an ex and a woman looks to provide comfort for her sick partner.

But, in the process, it's a play that poses as many questions as it provides answers. While offering a fascinating range of scenarios and with intriguing characters it perhaps falls short on developing the mountain of ethical, moral and political issues raised by each one.

This is most notable when the question of a robot’s ability to consent is raised. “Is what we do rape?” the robot asks but, problematically, the play shies away from even attempting to respond to the question.

The production's rapid pace leaves little time for questions about the logic of the robots — why do they move towards sentience? Is it their ability to learn or their very proximity to intimacy and sex?
That said, there’s some brilliant material for debate and Bobby Brook’s direction keeps things engaging, maintaining tension throughout.

And performers Isaura Barbe-Brown, Deshaye Gayle and Eleri Jones do a remarkable job in creating a number of different, yet rounded, characters who all slip from robot to human and back again with an alarming ease.

Runs until June 2, box office: kingsheadtheatre.com