Sisters at Writers Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...I certainly get why Johnston and Thebus have Greta speaking with obsequious condescension — that is, after all, one of the main points of the play. But the style here prevents any kind of emotional engagement between these two beings, if that is the word, even through Barrie, who invariably brings a rich emotional life to her work, brilliantly evokes a child and then a woman at different stages of her life. Frankly, I’d rather have just heard from Matilda talking about Greta’s impact than hearing this disembodied voice giving us the creeps for 90 minutes."

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...Within a couple of minutes, playwright Matthew Libby (whose off-Broadway play “Data” followed developers at an artificial intelligence company) has pulled us right into the most current of topics. How human can AI become? What does being “alive” even mean? And from that opening scene, he poses a question we have barely begun contemplating: What will lives be like for the children — physical, corporeal, human ones — who will be native to co-existing with such beings, especially when, after decades of learning about us individually, they will know us better than anyone else?"

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...So it’s a bit disconcerting and apropos at the same time that Johnston plays Greta, the AI creation in Matthew Libby’s Sisters, now at Writers Theatre under Jessica Thebus’s direction. We never see Greta. How could we, as she exists only inside the computer program devised by her creator? But her voice—at times insinuating, at other times comforting—becomes the lifelong companion (sort of) for Matilda (Brenda Barrie), who is six years old when we first meet her and ages 90 years over the course of the play."

Stage and Cinema - Not Recommended

"...A spare stage greets you as you walk into the Gillian Theatre for Matthew Libby’s Sisters, the opening play of the 35th season of Writers Theatre. A leather armchair, an accent table, and a lamp sit on an elevated platform, and there are some artfully arranged window frames in the back, but that’s about all there is to A Inn Doo’s simple but elegant set."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Recommended

"..."Sisters" is a comforting story of family, grief, and the intriguing relationship between human emotion and artificial intelligence. It doesn't focus on the surge of concern about AI replacing humans, but rather on the distinctive family structure and the longing to understand humans' evolving relationship with the creation of artificial intelligence."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Life has changed! When we were kids, if we needed something, we would ask a parent or a sibling for help. Today, if you don’t have a sibling or your parent(s) aren’t available, it is “ask Siri” or “Ask Alexa.” Yes, AI a/k/a artificial intelligence, is where it is at. But what if your parent decided that there was no way you might have a sibling and in fact created one for you using this new technology called AI? In Matthew Libby’s “Sisters”, now on the stage in the Gillian Theatre at Writers Theatre, we meet Matilda ( an amazing character created by Brenda Barrie) who at a very young age is presented with her “sister” Greta ( played to perfection by Chloe Johnston, who is offstage until the curtain call), who is on her father’s computer."

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...SISTERS is a moving and powerful theatrical experience. Matthew Libby’s science fiction inspired one-act looks at life, with all its highs and lows, joys and sorrows, successes and challenges. The play probes current experiences and long-ago memories. As we listen to Greta, the unseen voice of reason in the dark, we may even develop a new understanding of artificial intelligence. Perhaps SISTERS can inspire us to imagine what AI may become in the future. At one point in the play, Greta expresses a desire to have a body—to become human. Then, at other times, Matilda seems to want to be more like her sister—a computer with unlimited knowledge. Matthew Libby’s deceptively simply drama is layered and laced with unexpected comedy and moving drama. And in the end the playwright asks the audience to consider exactly what it means to be human."

PicksInSix - Recommended

"...Artificial Intelligence has been around for at least 70 years, but pop culture has been obsessed with it for millennia (See: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” circa 150 AD). From the friendly, protective robot of “Lost in Space” to the husband-worshipping femmebots of “The Stepford Wives” to the synthetic companions of “Ex Machina,” “M3GAN,” AI is a Pandora’s Box of limitless, fascinating mutations. Its place in storytelling is as vast as the data it collects."

Evanston Roundtable - Somewhat Recommended

"...Finding a way to incorporate AI into your day-to-day existence can be exhausting. This topic is worth exploring, but unfortunately, the production of Sisters at Writers Theatre misses the mark."

NewCity Chicago - Not Recommended

"...But that is where the script’s coding falls short. The premise rings as frustratingly artificial as its second protagonist. Technological limitations aside, like the confusing notion that an AI entity only exists in a singular computer, the show does little to push any conversation of this technology forward while the final third of the show trudges along like dial-up. Despite being only ninety minutes, it was a long ninety minutes."