THEATRE
Written by Tom Holloway, Melbourne Theatre Company
At Southbank Theatre until 31 Oct 2026
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: **** (4)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly, 3MBS, Sat 17 Oct 2026. KH
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| Dan Spielman- Eliza.-image Pia Johnson |
Tom Holloway’s play, Eliza, is at first interesting, then fascinating and finally, alarming. Dan Spielman’s depiction of the emotional and psychological trajectory of the central character, Joseph Weisenbaum, is at the very heart of this play and its success.
The play is set in 1964 when Weisenbaum, a German scientist, was invited to MIT to explore how humans might endow a computer with human qualities. He did this by creating an early form of chat bot – i.e. AI – which he dubbed Eliza after the character in My Fair Lady.
He programmed the bot to simulate a Rogerian psychologist by echoing the human’s comments and questions and then replying with open-ended, simple queries that elicited personal responses from the human. Weisenbaum also wanted to test whether a person could determine if the subsequent dialogue transcript was from a human or a machine.
In the play, Weisenbaum views his experiment as a joke, a parody of psychology and of the fictional character of Eliza. It’s like theatre to him. What he does not expect and what terrifies and alarms him is that the people around him – his assistant, colleagues, academics and psychologists – invest Eliza with human qualities: they anthropomorphise his computer program and take ownership of it.
The psychological disintegration of Weisenbaum is in direct correlation to the increase in others’ faith in his creation.
Holloway’s writing has a cunning dramatic structure, credible characters and raises compelling contemporary issues about AI and its invasion of our lives.
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| Eliza MTC- Dan Spielman, Hamish Michael, Manali Datar- image Pia Johnson |
Just think what happens when you do a search on your phone, an AI gives you an answer and offers politely to provide more information. Even the most sceptical or cynical start to feel they are really communicating with a pen pal who, if they’re not convinced is a human, at least has human qualities.
Spielman is masterly as Weistenbaum, a gifted scientist who is also a traumatised survivor of the Holocaust. Spielman embodies firstly Weistenbaum’s elation and joy, then his increasing obsessional behaviour and confusion that culminate in delusions and the crumbling of his fragile psyche.
Manil Datar as Becky, Weisenbaum’s office assistant who is not a programmer or a scientist, shifts from naïve obeisance to self-confidence – or is it overconfidence? Hamish Michael transforms in multiple roles including Ronald, Weisenbaum’s resentful assistant lab programmer at MIT, the ponderous department head, and a manipulative psychologist.
Paige Rattray’s deft direction focuses on the friction and fracturing of Weisenbaum’s relationships and highlights the creeping changes in their status and the escalating dramatic tension, disturbance and chaos.
Dale Ferguson’s design composed of stacks of archival file boxes, creates a labyrinth that swallows then spits out the characters as they disappear and reappear in its corridors. Paul Jackson’s lighting begins with a stark, clinical brightness in the chilly laboratory, then conjures an uneasy atmosphere as the play progresses.
This production of Holloway’s play raises challenging issues about our contemporary world and the world of scientific research, specifically into artificial intelligence, and its willingness to ignore the human impact and cost.
By Kate Herbert
Cast
Dan Spielman as Dr. Joseph Weizenbaum
Manali Datar as Becky
Hamish Michael as Ronald and other roles
Creative Team
Writer -Tom Holloway
Director – Paige Rattray
Set Designer - Dale Ferguson
Costume Designer -Matilda Woodroofe
Lighting Designer - Paul Jackson
Composer
& Sound Designer - Kelly Ryall
AV Designer - Rhian Hinkley
..
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