When two sisters disagree about the best way to provide care for their elderly mother, Black Swans feels as if it is heading into tried and tested family drama territory.
Set on a long white strip with three cubes providing seating or standing space, this play (translated from Christina Kettering’s 2020 Schwarze Schwäne by Pauline Wick) feels like a tennis match across an invisible net as the siblings spar, drink, and remember.
But this is also a play about artificial intelligence and whether robots can develop sentience by observing and monitoring human behaviour in close proximity. It captures a world where technology and possibility are now racing at full pelt.
‘Rosie’, a comforting name for a machine with womanly curves, arrives to make life better for the unseen Mother, making her laugh, lifting her with no rough movements, keeping her clean.
There are many ethical questions here. The title Black Swans suggest a malevolent force (or two) in the play, as the sisters (not named and only identified as ‘older’ and ‘younger’) explore very real questions of responsibility and autonomy.
For Camila França’s firstborn, her life and freedom are key, and set above that of the parent who gave birth to her. In the eyes of Trine Garrett’s little sister, it is both her destiny and frustration to care for Mother at home.
Can Rosie influence the mood at home? As França plays her the few times we ‘see’ her, is she really projecting older sister’s thoughts on the situation?
And would an ageing, dependent woman really be better off under the care of a machine? One glimpse of a care home with sedated residents and few staff may suggest so – or is the search a half-hearted symptom of martyrdom?
Black Swans could have explored the lack of care for those without daughters to help. A play in itself. But here we are, with some humour, a lot of desperation, and a rogue robot.
Ria Samartzi’s production has a poignant core about the relationship between two sisters, one successful and single, one married with a husband (who rarely comes home) and children.
It is a play that doesn’t quite resolve its dilemmas but captures the complexity of family decision-making for the sick and old with a female focus and technological twist.
Black Swans continues at the Omnibus Theatre until 11 May. Presented by Foreign Affairs, you can find tickets here.
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Image credit: Tim Morrozzo