Disposable Necessities at Electric Lodge

Disposable Necessities

Electric Lodge
1416 Electric Ave Venice

In the future, aging and death have become annoyances of the past thanks to a process of downloading the digitized soul into another host body, or Module. This is something only the very wealthy can afford and if you are rich enough you can be anyone you desire. A comedic look at greed, the value of life – and death.

Presented by Rogue Machine

Thru - Feb 3, 2020

Price: $40

Show Type: Comedy

Box Office: 310-306-1854

Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes (including 1 inte

www.roguemachinetheatre.net/

Disposable Necessities Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Los Angeles Times - Highly Recommended

"...Neil McGowan's play "Disposable Necessities," having its premiere at Rogue Machine in Venice, is part sci-fi yarn, part comic farce and part timely social commentary. It's hard to pin down its style, but one thing is certain: McGowan's rich imagination challenges our expectations at every twist of its deliciously disturbing plot."

Read Full Review

- F. Kathleen Foley

LA Splash - Highly Recommended

"...If you've ever thought about seeing the world through novel and different eyes, then DISPOSABLE NECESSITIES is for you. Skillfully crafted by playwright Neil McGowan, DISPOSABLE NECESSITIES takes us into a future where just about anything is possible – providing, of course, than you can afford it. Tired of being a man – or a woman, for that matter? Wondering what it would be like to be another race? What if chronic illness was a thing of the past? Can you conceive of living forever? Cleverly directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos, DISPOSABLE NECESSITIES probes all of these questions – and more – while keeping us chuckling."

Read Full Review

- Elaine Mura

Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended

"...Playwright Neil McGowan gives a futuristic spin to the age-old question "What would you do if you could live forever?" in his gender-bending, race-bending, relentlessly clever dark comedy Disposable Necessities, a Rogue Machine Theatre World Premiere."

Read Full Review

- Steven Stanley

CurtainUp - Recommended

"...A production with more technical frippery might have amped up some of the visual elements of establishing life in 2095. Working in the confines of the Rogue Machine's home at the Electric Lodge, Cienfuegos and Technical Director David Mauer do just fine. Christopher Moscatiello does some nice work with sound, particularly when performers access the memory data stored in their heads. Christine Cover Ferro goes cheekily futuristic with her costumes, especially as worn by Reid's Chadwick. The adjustment of which character you're watching and how they relate to a scene partner is a seamless one, even after McGowan shuffles the deck with a twist in the second act. Mauer is also the scenic designer, and his rendering of the Tottens' homes is spare, chic, and effective."

Read Full Review

- Evan Henerson

On Stage Los Angeles - Recommended

"...Rogue Machine Theatre, holding forth in Venice at The Electric Lodge maintains their intimate romance with productions that challenge not only their audiences, but their teams of artists, as well. Neil McGowan's World Premiere of Disposable Necessities is no exception."

Read Full Review

Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended

"...Director Guillermo Cienfuegos gets strong work from his actors, but the play's first act is weighed down with a lot of exposition while some of its science fiction trappings (a virtual internet, earpod-type phones you can't see) are less convincing than they might be. On the other hand, McGowan's writing is sharp and humorous and creative, and the moral questions he poses in the second act are intriguing if somewhat theoretical. The main problem with the piece is the abstract nature of its central premise, which seems too distant from our current reality to make the drama electrifying or genuinely provocative. Instead, what we get is more a clever intellectual exercise than a satisfying play."

Read Full Review

- Terry Morgan

Theatre Notes - Highly Recommended

"...Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos, Disposable Necessities is extraordinarily absorbing, often hilarious, and ultimately affecting. It is a family mash-up that is totally unique."

Read Full Review

- Paul Myrvold