THE ADDING MACHINE Opens At The New Group

The New Group is presenting a new production of The Adding Machine, directed by Scott Ellis. The play by Elmer L. Rice is performed by a talented cast featuring Sarita Choudhury, Michael Cyril Creighton, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Jennifer Tilly. Read reviews for the production!

Mr. Zero (Daphne Rubin-Vega) is just another cog.  He can’t fulfill his own needs, much less those of his wife Mrs. Zero (Jennifer Tilly), or his workwife Daisy (Sarita Choudhury).  But when Mr. Zero’s boss (Michael Cyril Creighton) replaces him with a machine, Mr. Zero lashes out violently, propelling him on a wild existential journey and revealing some of his most despicable instincts.  A production from The New Group, this experimental revival of Elmer L. Rice’s 1923 satire The Adding Machine grapples with the darkest sides of human nature and the emotional impact of what it means to be replaceable – an examination that is scarily current, despite the play being written over 100 years ago.

This production features Sarita Choudhury (Daisy), Michael Cyril Creighton (Everyone Else), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mr. Zero) and Jennifer Tilly (Mrs. Zero).  Scenic Design is by Derek McLane.  Costume Design is by Catherine Zuber.  Lighting Design is by Jeff Croiter.  Sound Design is by Stan Mathabane.  Wig Design is by Tom Watson.  Production Stage Manager is Valerie A. Peterson.  Production Supervisor is Five Ohm.

Originally slated through May 10, this production now plays a limited Off-Broadway engagement through Sunday, May 17. 

Mike Dressel, Slant Magazine: In the final scene of the play, Mr. Zero learns, to his consternation, that reincarnation is nothing but a series of repetitions. Life is reproduced almost like a series of carbon copies, with departed souls rinsed, recycled, and repurposed. Charles indicates that there’s always some unseen force above thumbing the scales, and even eternity can be a slog. Some audiences might find The Adding Machine one too, given how central despair and regret is to the play. But if they clock in with full knowledge of what’s in store, perhaps they will find a play worth reckoning with.

Robert Hofler, The Wrap: With a less gifted cast, “The Adding Machine” could be a real trial to sit through. The first act is a series of monologues, some of which are delivered directly to the audience. As Mrs. Zero, Jennifer Tilly gets the first long speech as she sits in bed next to a catatonic husband who has bored her into distraction, and overeating, for years. This scene and the one on Death Row where Mrs. Zero brings her husband his favorite dish of ham and eggs are comic gems. Tilly has arrived at that wonderful Shelley Winters stage of her career, and she should be getting some of those roles that Jennifer Coolidge continues to gobble up.

Michael Sommers, New York Stage Review: Some may argue that The Adding Machine works fine and needs no retooling, but Bradshaw’s reasonably faithful adaptation will be more economical for theaters to produce than the rarely staged original play. In accordance with the stylized nature of expressionist theater, director Scott Elliott cultivates a cool, slightly bizarre quality to his well-acted, seamlessly staged production.

Thom Geier, Culture Sauce: While audience’s may struggle to connect with Zero’s depressingly circular journey, Director Scott Elliott’s production soups up the material with remarkable visual flair. Derek McLane’s evocative and versatile set, with a back wall of shelves holding antique desk lamps and office machines, yields multiple surprises as wooden filing cabinets open to reveal bedrooms and coffins and other locales. Jeff Croiter’s striking lighting and Stan Mathabanes sometimes jolting sound contribute to the overall tone of the piece, by turns discomfiting and provocative. There is a great deal of skill invested to refresh this century-old cautionary tale, but The Adding Machine doesn’t quite add up.

Christian Lewis, New York Theatre Guide : The theme of corporate greed obsessing over cheap, efficient robot labor, and the toll it takes on human employees, is well-explored and strikingly modern, despite the play being over a hundred years old. But in many other ways, the play shows its age. It’s expressionist, so it features characters who represent archetypes instead of individuals, stilted and stylized dialogue, philosophical ramblings, and endless monologues. All this can get quite grating over time. Thomas Bradshaw has revised Rice’s script, but he has left too much intact to appeal to a current audience, including violently offensive language that doesn’t particularly serve the plot.

Raven Snook, Time Out New York: At least this confounding slog of a production looks great at the New Group’s new home at the Theater at St. Clement’s. Scenic designer Derek McLane’s infinite back wall of shelves feels appropriately like a prison, and Jeff Croiter’s lighting design smartly employs moments of jolting brightness amid the dark. But unfortunately, given the talent involved, this Adding Machine falls short of the sum of its parts.