Writer: Seoeun Oh & Q Lee
Lyrics: Q Lee & Ricky Allan
Director: Esther Jun
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Interesting Idea“
3 / 5
Gyujin is heartbroken when his wife Mina is killed in a tragic accident, lonely and consumed with grief he starts to search for ways to have her back in his life.
The most promising option he comes across is a company specialising in experimental technologies; utilising robots and AI to regenerate Mina (Frances Mayli McCann) as if nothing ever happened. Gyujin (Zachary Pang) is overjoyed when she arrives, identical to his late wife in every way. Her appearance, voice, mannerisms and memories are all spot on, and it’s easy for him to replace his heartache with happiness. But, as time goes on, cracks begin to show – both in their relationship and in Mina’s hardware, shattering the illusion of perfection that the new arrangement once held. Despite trying to restart from scratch and rebuild the connection with Mina 2.0, he quickly realises things will never be the same, no matter how advanced the technology may be.
One of the most interesting ideas within You & It, is the fact that Mina is initially unaware that she is AI, never acknowledging moments where she is recharging, confused by things that have changed in the flat since her reboot. This is an enjoyable change from other sci-fi-esque narratives that normally lean into the colder, more robotic aspects of technology. By giving Mina’s AI warmth and humanity, it allows the audience to better weigh up the moral and ethical debates surrounding the various parts of the script, which are left intentionally open, to allow us to have our own discussions and thoughts around it, rather than being served an opinion by the script itself.
Pang and McCann have good chemistry, but it is hard to fully invest into their romance pre-AI, due to the accident happening within the first 10 minutes of the show, and Mina being taken so suddenly. There would be more of an emotional pull if we were able to connect with the original Mina a little more, before she is taken and replaced, because this, alongside with the very humanised android, means that it is easier to root for her replacement and dismiss the problems surrounding it, because she’s pretty much all we know. McCann in particular is a wonderful performer, and showcases both iterations of Mina extremely well, with the stark, occasional contrasts as she reboots and powers down brilliantly impactful.
Bob Sterrett & Lu Herbert’s set design works well with the space, split down the side to separate Mina and Gyujin’s workspaces, and having a centralised table at the heart of the room where they both connect together. The ‘charging station’ in particular is well created, and reinforces the technology aspects of the show, as it is frequently used. The songs are enjoyable, but not particularly memorable, each of them sounding very similar to each other with no real variation in tone or melody, which is to the shows detriment, because much of the story progresses within the lyrics of the many songs, so when they fall flat, it’s harder to remain fully engaged. The live band however, hidden up near the ceiling of the theatre do a great job, as do McCann and Pang, who both perform them well and inject emotion into each song. An intriguing premise, that may be better received as a play rather than a musical.
Runs until 26th September 2026
RatedReviewed 
Leave a comment