SURE, LET SILCON VALLEY DO ITS JOB WITH
THE GOVERNMENT – WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
Along with The Other Americans, Arena Stage is offering yet another world premiere. A highly relevant corporate thriller that makes the Enron financial scandal look tame, DATA plunges viewers into the ethically complex world of Silicon Valley at a time when our data- and AI-driven world is hurtling at us with a speed that would make Einstein dizzy. Highlighting the isolation common in our supposedly connected modern society, the 90-minute one act explores modern issues of data manipulation, corporate ambition, and personal responsibility with gripping intensity, making it a compelling production.
Karan Brar (Maneesh) and Rob Yang (Wang Tao "Alex")
Playwright Matthew Libby, who studied both cognitive science and playwriting at Stanford University, draws from his Silicon Valley experience to offer a timely critique of the allure and ethical dangers of the tech industry. While it would serve the play to have some characters more multidimensional and nuanced, the themes explored — loyalty to superiors vs. friends vs. family vs. the greater good of society vs. one’s own moral intuitions — are timeless.
Rob Yang (Wang Tao "Alex")
In Athena Technologies’ break room. Maneesh (Karan Brar), a new employee at the leading software company, is in a lighthearted ping-pong game with fellow programmer Jonah (Stephen Cefalu, Jr.), his self-proclaimed mentor, who introduces him to company culture, including rituals like Taco Tuesday. Their rapport is interrupted by Riley (Isabel Van Natta), a tense colleague who recognizes Maneesh from their college days; she is surprised to learn that he is working in the less-prestigious User Experience division rather than the elite Data Analytics team, especially given Maneesh’s genius at computer calculations and problem-solving operations.
Karan Brar (Maneesh) and Stephen Cefalu, Jr. (Jonah)
A swift transition to a conference room raises the stakes as Alex Wang (Rob Yang), head of Analytics, convinces Maneesh to shift from his relaxed User Experience role into a high-pressure Data Analytics position. This move sets up Maneesh’s internal conflict as he gradually discovers Athena’s questionable data practices, which he feels conflicts both with his own moral compass and the interests of his parents, who immigrated from India in 1984 and now live in North Carolina. What follows is a a compelling exploration of corporate ethics, power dynamics, and personal responsibility, driven by suspenseful storytelling and strong performances.
Karan Brar (Maneesh)
Karan Brar, a screen actor making his stage debut, delivers a standout performance portraying the talented, decent, overwhelmed Maneesh; Stephen Cefalu, Jr. convincingly portrays the affable but layered Jonah; Isabel Van Natta ratchets up the intensity as Riley; and Rob Yang from TV’s Succession does exceedingly well at embodying the sometimes confident, sometimes desperate, sometimes ambiguous role of a high-tech, upper-middle manager.
Isabel Van Natta (Riley) and Karan Brar (Maneesh)
Directed by Margot Bordelon, the tense corporate drama is significantly enhanced by Dan Kluger’s electronic dance music score, Mikaal Sulaiman‘s soul-penetrating sound, Beth Goldenberg‘s costumes, and, especially, Amith Chandrashaker‘s lighting, which enhances the drama’s atmosphere and tension. Marsha Ginsberg‘s minimalist set uses a stark white metal container aesthetic; this, combined with Chandrashaker’s fluorescent lighting, creates a sleek yet sterile tech atmosphere.
Maneesh mentions that he and his family are Sikhs, and that this influences his conscience, but this might have been explored a bit further. Similarly Alex is shown at one point taking a call from his family, but the significance is unclear. Yes, the play offers some confusion — the script doesn’t serve the characters, the characters serve the message of the play. A message which is frighteningly clear. It’s not unlike that bumper sticker: “Make Orwell Fiction Again.”
photos by T. Charles Erickson Photography
DATA
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle (200 seats), 1101 Sixth Street SW in D.C.
90 minutes without intermission
Tues and Wed at 7:30; Thurs & Fri at 8 (dark Nov. 28); Sat at 2 & 8: Sun at 2 & 7:30
weekday matinees at 12pm Nov. 12, 26, 27 & Dec. 11
ends on December 15, 2024
for tickets ($75–$149), call 202.488.3300 or visit Arena Stage