The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence – Location, Tickets, Reviews
Madeleine George’s The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence intertwines the lives of four Watsons: Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick; Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant engineer; the monotone super computer that beat Ken Jennings in a game of Jeopardy; and a modern day, friendly tech-geek–all played by John Ellison Conlee. Conlee is joined by Amanda Quaid and David Costabile (TV: Breaking Bad).
The four Watsons are engaged in four parallel narratives. In one, a jilted auditor asks tech-geek Watson to investigate his ex-wife; in another, a frantic woman pays Sherlock’s Watson a visit, prompting an investigation and dangerous confrontation; in the third, Bell’s Watson finds himself fervently trying to set the historical record straight; and finally the maker of Jeopardy’s Watson struggles to shape the computer’s artificial personality.
The first term that comes to mind to describe this production is thought-provoking. In each story, paranoia, ambition, relevance, and society’s dependence on technology and obsession with perfection are considered from multiple angles. It is a genuinely intelligent exploration of some fascinating issues that one is left pondering them long after curtain call. We appreciate that it challenges the audience members to think without being condescending.
The problem is that thought-provoking only gets you so far. The show is a little dry, and with four storylines to wrap up and a run time over two hours, it grows a bit tedious.
The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence had its official press opening on December 9th and the critics were largely in agreement. The New York Times noted the production has some “authentically insightful reflections,” but it “too often sputters and stalls, falling victim to its own grand ambitions.” Some reviewers did express their appreciation for George’s complex and clever work; for example, TheaterMania asserted that it was “a play of incredible scope yet remarkable efficiency” (though it too felt that the production was too long), and New York Magazine, while acknowledging some weaknesses, asserted it’s “both marvelous and filled with marvels.”
LOCATION
Playwrights Horizons
MainStage Theater
416 West 42nd Street
New York City
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RUNNING TIME
2 hours and 30 minutes, one intermission
TICKETS
$70-$90; (click here for tickets from Ticket Central, the official ticket seller for The [curious case of the] Watson Intelligence)
DATES
Performances through December 29, 2013
NEWS & REVIEWS
News
New York Times
Love Machines
Reviews
New York Times
Smarts and Feelings, Vying for Attention
New York Post
‘Watson Intelligence’ doesn’t land anywhere interesting
TheaterMania
Madeleine George’s ambitious new play leaps across time and space to explore the secret lives of helpers.
New York Magazine
George’s cleverness keeps taking surprising turns; just when you think you’re heading into the cul-de-sac where speculative fiction typically gets trapped, she blasts her way out.
New York Theater
The play is an ambitious, intelligent effort to present a range of issues involving technology, politics, society and love . . . but there is both too much to digest in ‘The Watson Intelligence,’ and not enough that’s fully cooked.
NYTheater Now
A few directorial puzzlements can’t mask a virtuosic performance from John Ellison Conlee, as Watson, and solid ones from Amanda Quaid as Eliza and David Costabile as Merrick. Plowing through a range of centuries, continents, and accents is never easy, especially in the blink of an eye, and all three are equal to the task.
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Written by Madeleine George
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Featuring David Costabile, John Ellison Conlee, and Amanda Quaid