Running through Sunday, November 8 at the new performance venue The Makers’ Space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, The Makers’ Ensemble is presenting the New York City premiere of O’Neill Finalist Ben Holbrook’s User Agreement, directed by Dante Green. The intimacy of The Makers’ Space suits this show perfectly. We immediately meet our main characters, Theo (Marvelyn Ramirez) and Sy (Vann Dukes). The pair playfully reminisce about their first time meeting, romanticized as their interpretations of each others’ many past lives– before they even “became” human! One tells the other, “That’s how I met you: A fish. One day I just saw you stationary in the water. I think you were expecting me: So many colorful scales and SO BIG. At first, I thought you’d be delicious to eat, but I found you beautiful! ” Fast forward to a Friday night in present-day New York, and the two meet up at a club where they bond over Janet Jackson’s The Pleasure Principle (Who wouldn’t?!) . They enjoy an intimate night together… and although Sy wakes up with hangover, they are full of joy. It may be early in their budding relationship, but it’s clear that these two are “in sync” as they bond over music, conversations, and hanging out with their friend Leif (Michael Adrian Burgos). We learn more about our two main characters: Theo apparently has some cognitive dissonance about their job, only vaguely describing it as “advertising”; They don’t like to speak about it– which, to be fair, isn’t that uncommon in this day and age where an employee’s values don’t necessarily align with the values of their employer. When Sy presses Theo about what they’d do if they could do anything else, Theo confesses they would be a DJ. In contrast, the less guarded and more emotionally transparent Sy absolutely LOVES their job at the New York Aquarium, specializing in cephalopods (AKA, octopi and squid…) Then again, if you got to talk to an octopus (More about that later…), you’d love your job too.
From these first moments, the audience may interpret User Agreement as a proverbial “slice of life” Gen Z love story about life in modern-day New York City: where residents love the freedom and excitement of the urban jungle despite the noise, the prices, and the crowds. But at about the 15-minute mark, there is a shift in the play’s mood which hits the audience like a ton of bricks. We observe Theo speaking with a Chat GPT-like interactive device named NIMBUS. Something is clearly brewing. The most obvious deduction would be that Theo is having doubts about their relationship. But that’s not it. Not even close… We can laugh at first that NIMBUS is no more dangerous than asking “Alexa” to play a song– but even despite the ridiculousness of arguing with something that’s not even human, the show becomes deeper than solely being about Theo’s and Sy’s relationship– deep, and even slightly dark, as the NIMBUS phenomenon starts to become exposed. It’s also at this time when we first hear of the “user agreement” of the title. As the facts come out, Theo isn’t sure that they can handle their own personal involvement in it, despite Sy’s unwavering support and affection. Thanks to the script, the fluidity of the direction, and the talents of the two leads, the transition in the storyline is very smooth. A large segment of User Agreement involves Sy getting an envied chance to speak with an octopus (played by é boylan), thanks to technology made possible by… NIMBUS! (The audience also learns that Sy’s friend Leif has ties to [all together now…] NIMBUS. Hmmm…). The scenes with Ollie the octopus may seem like self-indulgence on the part of the playwright, but my own experience as a zoology minor in college has always led me to the same path: If you want to learn more about human behavior, look at our fellow animal species first. The answers are all there…
User Agreement benefits from a realistic script, particularly in the opening scenes that establish the organic relationship between Theo and Sy. An example is when the pair discuss how they KNOW that they have met before, but they just can’t remember where or when. If this sounds hard to believe, you’ve never lived in New York City. While the subject matter can be challenging (Specifically, the play explores how AI, data collection, toxic capitalism, and lack of economic opportunity are insidiously influencing the trajectory of humanity.), User Agreement smartly explores these subjects with enough humor and (gasp!) actual humanity to temper its more serious aspects. Ben Holbrook’s play also benefits from excellent casting. Marvekyn Ramirez and Vann Dukes are perfectly cast in their roles; it almost seems like the playwright wrote these characters for the actors. In supporting roles, Michael Adrian Burgos as Leif and Jetta Juriansz as the human incarnation of NIMBUS are equally well-cast. Finally, there’s é boylan in the showy role as Ollie the octopus. Up until now I never thought about a talking octopus in a theater production before, but I have to say that this actor’s fabulous interpretation has now spoiled me for all other takes. The ending of User Agreement is heavy, but it also offers more than a chance of hope for all of us… providing we learn how to put the “human” back in “humanity”. This show is highly recommended!
User Agreement continues through Sunday, November 8 at The Makers’ Space, 281 N. 7th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211. (Near the Metro-Lorimer L/G, Bedford L, and Marcy Avenue J/M/Z). Tickets are $25. The show is 80 minutes, no intermission. For tickets and information, visit: www.makersensemble.org/useragreement.
(Photos by Angel J. Rivera.)
