Technology has no doubt made our lives easier, but what about its rampant power? Like, the power to make man obsolete. As I write this, I am cognizant of the fact that one day a writing machine may just eradicate the need for writers like me. It’s man vs. machine and it’s a very real circumstance played out in the Skylight Opera Theatre’s season finale.
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Liz Pazik (Mrs. Zero) and Ray Jivoff (Mr. Zero). Photo courtesy of Mark Frohna. |
Adding Machine – A Musical, is the highly anticipated work by Milwaukee native Josh Schmidt, which he calls a romantic comedy – a very dark one. Adapted from Elmer Rice’s 1923 play, Adding Machine tells the story of Mr. Zero, who after 25 years of service to his company, is replaced by an adding machine. Schmidt co-wrote the libretto with Jason Loewith.
“Jason and I tried to refocus from the specifically leftist overtones of the original play and put the focus squarely on Mr. Zero. However, I think there are larger issues and questions about life and living that transcend the specific social circumstance,” explains Schmidt.
In a very dystopian vision, the play takes place both on earth and in the afterlife. Aside from a commentary about the dehumanization of society, Adding Machine is also a cautionary tale, warning people how not to live their life.
Crowd pleaser, long-time Skylight cast member and Associate Artistic Director Ray Jivoff takes on the role of Mr. Zero who has an abysmal quality life, a toxic marriage and a repressed longing for his secretary. He felt entitled to a promotion because he did everything right for 25 years, but when the machine replaces Zero, his reaction is completely shocking.
Schmidt calls Zero a coward. “His character is socially and psychologically incapable of living life in this archetypal world. He’s the ground zero example of a complacent person who just exists and doesn’t live. He fails every time he has a chance to succeed because he won’t take a risk.” I can’t give away too much more of the plot, but the dark twists and turns uncover many surprises as Mr. Zero adapts to the changes in his life and afterwards.
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| Ray Jivoff (Mr. Zero) and Niffer Clarke (Daisy). Photo courtesy of Mark Frohna. |
The production is somewhat of a homecoming for Schmidt. He admits he wrote the Adding Machine with Skylight in mind. In fact, he credits the Skylight for his interest in theatre. Schmidt saw his first theatrical production in 1992 at the Skylight and got his first professional gig at Skylight during the 1996/97 season. “For the early part of my career, Skylight was my artistic home outside of my music composition and technology studies at UWM. My career radiates outwardly in concentric circles from my formative experiences in Milwaukee,” he recalls.
Adding Machine- A Musical premiered at Next Theatre Company in Evanston in 2007 where it won a Joseph Jefferson Award for best new work. That production went on to a six-month commercial run Off-Broadway in 2008, winning several additional awards. Schmidt now splits his time between New York and the Midwest
Adding Machine runs May 20 through June 12 at the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center (158 N. Broadway). For tickets and more information contact (414) 291-7800 or click here. Further explanation from the Skylight’s Artistic Director Bill Theisen available here:
