Octet the Ultimate Musical for this very moment

Dave Malloy’s acapella musical Octet now onstage at the Raven Theatre is a darkly charming and humorously terrifying analysis of what we humans have become in the age of the Internet.  A group of 8 digital natives gather in a support group for internet addiction– they call the Digital Universe “the Monster”– and try to sing their way back to mental health and their own humanity.  The plot is at once a warning and a path to a better way.  Singing in harmony is an embodied way to create connection and the blend of this ensemble’s voices brings comfort to an audience that will hear each character’s story with horror and perhaps recognition.  This depiction of dystopia is gentle.

Watching these characters struggle with a technology that is unavoidable and threatens to swallow them whole, live and sometimes unwillingly reminds me of the Kill Switch episode of The X-files where a sentient AI has been unleashed and a character uploads her entire consciousness to the internet. This musical asks the question: how do we separate ourselves from the essential, human designed product which now owns us. It answers: We connect in the real world. We sit in a dark theatre and witness together. 

Keira Fromm’s direction and Nick Sula’s musical direction make sure that this plot rolls out seamlessly and the tunes are pitch perfect: this is a technically magic production that is entertaining and thought provoking. Don’t miss it, and bring a friend. 

Octet is playing Thursdays through Sundays at the Raven Theatre at 6157 N. Clark Street in Chicago.  For tickets and information go to www.raventheatre.com

Photo by Joe Mazza

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