What I liked
Point of view was well-used: the audience knew who they were—attendees at the funeral/ascension—and maintained that role throughout.
The technology worked remarkably well considering how cutting-edge it was.
What I didn't like
While holding one’s phone to look at the avatar gets tiresome toward the end of the second act, it’s hard to say if this is something to be improved upon or part of the point the show is making about how relationships and presence changes when someone transitions from the human to digital realm.
With two separate futuristic timelines and ambitions, it may be worth considering how the show could clarify the significance of ascension with regard to the farther future quest early in the show and also the CAAS framing. There are so many new concepts to process that it’s possible to miss some of the significance.
My overall impression
ROOT is ambitious both in its use of technology and with regard to the ideas it’s excited to explore. It’s a play staged in a theatre that incorporates AR into the performance and story. To its credit, its use of technology was integral to the story and not just a gimmick; it underlined the themes the show explores. A digital being that lives forever requires a medium of some kind in order to be seen or heard.
