‘The Nether’ — Creepy, provocative, compelling
PAWTUCKET — How odd: The stage for The Gamm’s production of “The Nether” looks like a Victorian parlor, styled for the 1800s, despite the fact the play is set in the future.
However, at the far end is a black space, outlined in white light and centered by a glowing, white cube. Turns out this ominous place is an interrogation room in the “real” world, and that elegant parlor is a virtual realm called the Hideaway, created by an unnerving character named Mr. Sims. It’s part of an online network called the Nether.
The two worlds are very different, but one of the questions raised in playwright Jennifer Haley’s sci-fi drama is whether the same ethical and moral rules apply to both. As this story unfolds, information about the characters and their roles in the Hideaway explore that topic over an intense 90 minutes.
The play makes interesting theater, albeit a bit creepy. People should be forewarned that the world Mr. Sims has created is appealing not just because it’s elegant and verdant, far more so than the dystopian “real” world hinted at in the dialogue, but because it’s a place where people can do whatever they want, without consequences.
In the Hideaway, that includes murder and sex with children. There’s nothing graphic on stage; the implica- tions are enough. The idea is presented that when operating in a virtual world where humans are represented by avatars, there are no consequences – or are there?
As the play opens, Mr. Sims is being questioned in the real world about his virtual-world activities. His interrogator is a determined Detective Morris, who also is badgering a third character, Mr. Doyle, for incriminating information about Mr. Sims. The glowing cube represents a sort of computer archive of information.
Two more characters exist in the virtual world: Iris, a sweet and compliant 9-yearold; and Mr. Woodnut, a handsome newcomer to the Hideaway. The way all the characters’ lives intersect affects how we think about the Hideaway and about the role technology might play in our not-too-distant future.
The playwright poses the theoretical questions, but the emotional impact is delivered by director Judith Swift and five perfectly cast actors.
Richard Donnelly plays Mr. Sims in a ferocious mix of anger, indignation and a defensive sort of insouciance, suggesting there may be advantages to acting out in a virtual rather than real world. Casey Seymour Kim is restrained and remarkably convincing as Detective Morris, while Jim O’Brien gives an intuitive performance as Mr. Doyle, a man so defeated in the real world, he’s willing to “cross over” entirely to the virtual one.
In the virtual realm, Jamie Dufault is always watchable as Mr. Woodnut, a young man whose resistance to the depravities offered in the Hideaway melts away. Ally Gower, a high school junior, is so very good as Iris that it’s uncomfortable to watch her — but that’s exactly as it should be; after all, she is the avatar of Hideaway guests’ affections. Gower is poised and in character throughout.
Interactions among humans and robots or avatars or zombies are fodder for contemporary fiction, movies and television, and this play is not graphic, although promotional materials advise that the subject matter is for mature audiences.
There isn’t, however, as much ambiguity about right and wrong as I expected, nor a character with whom to identify. That could have led to feeling uninvolved in the story.
At the Gamm, however, Swift’s understanding of the characters, coupled with the actors’ performances, make the emotional connection. The playwright’s contention that something like the Nether could be in our future is a situation worth debating. Seeing this production should start a lot of conversations.