Cleo Universe

What I liked

I really enjoyed the scrappiness of the show. Robot parts are cardboard, the worlds we see are projected using what appear to be public digital assets. They give us the pieces and trust the audience to fill in the information. I’m also a big fan of sci-fi, so it was a fun premise. I also liked the reference to Max Headroom.

What I didn't like

For the story that this play is trying to tell, it doesn’t have near enough time to do it. Often, it feels like Cleo Universe is rushing through a much grander story, and that we are only seeing the highlights. If certain scenes were expanded upon, and characters fleshed out more, this would be on its way to a success. Additionally, some scenes were really short. For example, there is a scene with a fire that literally has a character come on stage, remark about the fire for 15 seconds tops, and then leave the stage again for the scene to change. This sort of micro-scene happens several times throughout the play. While such short scenes might work for a film, its jarring to have so many scenes like that.

My overall impression

This show was a little frustrating to watch, mainly because I really, really wanted to like it. The premise is fun, the actors are doing their best with the material, and I really enjoy how scrappy the play is. However, I had trouble following the story at times, and the script feels really choppy. There is potential in this show, but it hasn’t reached it yet.