Review: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Etcetera Theatre

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is based on the short story by Harlan Ellison and follows the five last living people after a sentient computer destroys the world. The all-powerful machine, called AM, keeps these humans alive to torture them for its own satisfaction.

This is a dark and intense story, dealing with difficult emotions. As such, it is better rendered in the abstract. This stage adaptation, at Etcetera Theatre as part of The Camden Fringe, encourages the audience to use their imagination to feel specific aspects of the horror, such as how AM “touches” characters invasively or keeps them alive for over a century of suffering.

This production is abstract, with no sets and minimal props. Words such as “hate” or “pain” are repeated over and over until they have lost all meaning. This conveys the intensity of the emotions more vividly than a more elaborate production. It also renders that which is intangible, such as the madness of AM or the pain caused by over a century of torture, graphically in the minds of the audience.

What matters most to the audience is not the exact detail of how AM works or what it does, but the effect this has on the characters. This is brought to life through intense physical performances, especially from Grace Le Bachelet, playing all the human characters, which match the heightened emotions of the drama.

There are some genuinely disturbing scenes, even for a veteran horror fan such as myself. I found myself gripping my knees or a flyer to contain the tension in the tightly packed auditorium, full of people experiencing the same visceral emotions.

The technical aspects of the show support this mood. Two mics at the side of the stage, each with different echo effects, twist Ross Barbour’s voice into the inhuman sounds of AM or create sudden noises, which work effectively as jump scares.

The stage floor is covered in sand and the performers become increasingly caked in it as the show progresses. Especially Le Bachelet, who gut-wrenchingly expresses her character’s agony. This shows the declining sanity of the characters and their rising depravity as the torture continues.

This is a prescient story. First published in 1967, it describes a thinking machine that destroys humanity during World War 3. It is more appropriate now than ever. The depth of AM’s hatred for humanity comes from its inability to feel, but its awareness of being surrounded by people who can. As well as being an adept description of AI, it is also a powerful metaphor for trauma. This hatred of humanity is unsettlingly expressed through the performances and strange sound effects.

Throughout the show I felt tense and uneasy on my bench. Like all the best horror, it does not shock but instead reaches into something uncomfortable living in the mind and squeezes. This is done creatively, using little from a technical standpoint, or in the way of specific details of horror, which is a remarkable achievement.

Based on the short story by: Harlan Ellison
Directed by: Ewan Mulligan
Assistant & movement director: Marguerite Vermersch
Dramturg by: Kit Miles
Intimacy coordinator: Foxy

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