Playwright: Karel Capek. At: Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway. Phone: 773-528-9696; $20. Runs through: Oct. 25. Photo by Chris Ocken.
Any science fiction aficionado worth his or her salt must pay an immediate pilgrimage to Strawdog Theatre's Rossum's Universal Robots ( or R.U.R., for short ) . After all, it's not too often that anyone produces the play that introduced the word 'Robot' to the world.
Don't be surprised if R.U.R.'s 1921 plot of altered robots revolting against their human masters to take over the world feels cliché. The reason for that is because so many other sci-fi writers have stolen their ideas from pioneering Czech playwright Karel Capek.
You realize what a futuristic visionary Capek was in R.U.R. from the arguments he puts forth regarding mankind's relationship with technology. Capek's writing remains very relevant for today, from Rebekah Ward-Hays' religiously fanatic Nanna condemning scientific advances ( sounding a lot like those who rail against stem cell research ) to Ryan Bollettino's extremely droll mogul manufacturer Henry Domin, who just shrugs when his technological advances put millions of workers out of jobs.
Where Capek isn't advanced is the sexism in the way men treat women ( both human and robot ) and how Capek portrays his lead heroine, Helena ( played by an entrancing and excitable Michaela Petro ) . Initially as fiery as a die-hard Peta activist from today, she later becomes an easily swayed and materialistic airhead ( yet the easy and inordinate wealth and luxury offered up to Helena would be hard for anyone to refuse ) .
The folks at Strawdog are well aware of sexist undercurrent, and director Shade Murray encourages his actors to present the material with more than a self-conscious wink at the behaviors of a bygone era. Strawdog also gets plenty of laughs in the way they present the socially awkward scientists comically played by Brennan Buhl, Carmine Grisolia, Noah Simon and John Henry Roberts, who each resemble male sci-fi-loving geeks of today in more ways than one.
Director Murray also manages to steer R.U.R. and its large cast on a course that encompasses rolled-eye camp at outmoded thinking to true terror as the robots start closing in for attack. Though there is a glimmer of hope at the end, R.U.R. remains as bleak and disturbing as it should be.
The Strawdog production team has even more fun fleshing out the look of this historic artifact, incorporating lots of art deco looks to Dan Stratton's elegant sets to Alison Greaves' period costumes. Underscoring the mood as it switches from comic to tense is Mikhail Fiskel and Miles Polaski's eclectic sound design, much of it performed live on odd items like wine glasses or a gutted piano.
R.U.R. may be creaky for most sci-fi fanatics, but its importance and relevance to the genre are monumental. Strawdog does everyone a favor by producing such a fun and timely reminder.