I received an invitation from East Riding Theatre in Beverley to attend a showing of Answering Machines, written by Jordan Noble and directed by Michael Kinsey. Living in Beverley, I had seen a few social media comments about how good the dress rehearsal was for this production, so I was looking forward to seeing it.
Set in the year 2037, Lauriston Moss (Vincent Regan) is facing the end alone, having given up on his treatment for cancer. It is a world where people only communicate with their own AI assistant (I can think of nothing worse than that), and the AI assistant and Lauriston ponder what legacy he will leave behind.
He has no family he speaks to until an email wishing him well from his niece arrives. Lauriston responds, but does not send the email. His AI tells him of his assets, and one is a complete surprise to him — some property at the address where he grew up. Despite feeling exhausted and very ill, Lauriston takes a driverless cab to the property. Interestingly, a passenger in the driverless cab cannot fall asleep – why not?
Seemingly, there is very little at the address other than very old tech and an answering machine which starts talking to Lauriston. Is this real, or is he delusional in his fatigue and illness? The voice on the machine is his mother, and she is answering his questions. She makes him remember good times as a child and bad times, remembering his parents and sister. Lauriston eventually dies at the property, but not before he has dictated a message to his niece Jodie.
Regan impressed from the start with his portrayal of a man at the end of his life. The exhaustion and feeling that he had ‘had enough’ was so well acted that it felt real. The laboured breathing, difficult steps, sheer exhaustion — this was a masterclass in progress.
The audience were gripped from the moment Regan stepped onto the stage and they never let go. He carried the entire show until the last ten minutes or so, when Jodie comes to the newly found property and wonders what all this old tech is, while Uncle Lauriston chats to her from the answering machine.
The set was simple but effective, the direction was excellent, and all in all, the piece was thoroughly enjoyed by the entire audience. It was good to see local actors and a director working on such a quality production at ERT.
Should you see this production? Definitely. It is thought-provoking and captivating, and a pleasure to see an actor of Regan’s calibre at a small local venue.
