ROI (Return on Investment) Review – The drama of frenetic adventure capitalism is an intoxicating drink | stage

AAn earnest research scientist shows up at a sleek venture capitalist firm to pitch her idea using a deck of old index cards. Willa (Letty Thomas) is initially dismissed by young May (Millicent Wong) until she realizes that Willa has found a way to predict cancer in the human body. It’s a kind of medical version of the “pre-crime” technology featured in Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report — except this isn’t a future scene, but contemporary San Francisco.

May, an ambitious protégé of company boss Paul (Lloyd Owen), sees that she has a rare and highly valuable startup (known as a “unicorn”) on her hands. But the marriage of Wella’s cutting-edge medical technology and Paul’s profit-driven business brings major dilemmas.

Aaron Loeb is a businessman as well as a playwright, and it shows: his play oscillates between May and Paul, a certain Mamet-style sparring reminiscent of Glengarry Glen Ross. Its aim is to show us what can happen when a major scientific breakthrough is achieved through the machinery of venture capitalism, an ambitious but somewhat feverish goal. Directed by Chelsea Walker, it takes place mostly in Paul’s Silicon Valley-style office (sofa, smoothie maker, and full of soft screen interfaces).

Rosie El Nile’s theater design cleverly reconfigures itself in seconds as scenes jump from the Covid era to an indeterminate near future. Medical discoveries come thick and fast; Treatments for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease as well as Precures. The ability to create designer babies was mentioned within the Willa hack. The plot deals with the moral and political ramifications of such science, with the involvement of a US Congressional committee. An extramarital affair is thrown in, as well as a character suffering from early dementia.

All this is difficult to digest in about 100 minutes. There is more than just a wide range of ideas, while personal stories are too short to capture your emotions. The characters are strongly performed, and also remain indistinct and sometimes appear cliched (eg. Paul with his yoga mat and smoothies).

Paul starts out as an idealist, telling May that he wants to save the world. His pursuit of profit overcomes this ideal, perhaps too quickly, but it is not just the capitalist who is the villain here. As a scientist, Willa puts forward very problematic views and conspiracy theories about race and genetics, which leads her toward right-wing forces. It is, ultimately, a reminder that pure scientific discovery can never remain “pure.”