“It is difficult to know if we should be alarmed by the fact that there is more sci than fi in ’anthropology’...Crisp and white and without the comfort of props or furniture, it evokes the futuristic, and slightly eerie, ambiance of a mid-noughties Apple advert. There is nowhere to hide but the cast skilfully fill the icy space with cosy warmth.”
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"Anna Ledwich’s production has chilly, sinister touches... It all contributes to an atmospheric and philosophically resonant piece, showing how technology is, ultimately, driven by humanity; we can make it comforting or threatening, pure or biased, a diversion or an addiction. As for the plot, though? Does not compute."
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"Gunderson’s dialogue shines with empathy and wit as she questions the distinctions between human and machine in the digital age...So you leave appreciating the talent that makes Gunderson so in-demand without quite feeling this fizzingly intelligent play makes good on its potential."
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"Gunderson puts some big themes under the microscope that are both topical and worthy of attention; not just the implications of artificial intelligence, but violence against women, which hangs heavily over this traumatised family. But the thriller plotline doesn’t hold together – for one thing the AI seems to rely on information that would be readily available to a human detective – and as a result it feels in need of further refinement to fulfil its obvious potential."
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“There are signs of too many ideas in a relatively short play, and of them not meshing as well together as the playwright may have hoped...Neither grief nor artificial intelligence is as deeply explored as it ought to be, but ‘Anthropology’ has a great deal in its favour, and may serve to kickstart conversations about technology's place in theatre.”
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"No chatbot could surely ever write anything as original and compelling as a play that makes a powerful case for human writing intelligence."
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“I really don’t mean to sound too snarky myself because if you can get over the required leaps in credibility – and there’s a huge one around the 60-minute mark – this is an enjoyable evening. Anthropology engages with our tech-mediated lives and with speculative futures in a way theatre rarely does.”
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"Somewhere deep in the source code of the play are ideas that could come to life with more imagination and a lot less dialogue. But if you’re going to write a play about the dangers of AI, you’d better make damn sure it doesn’t sound quite so algorithmic."
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