Alfrun Rose performs in her solo show Dead Air. Alfie’s Dad died three years ago and Alfie is struggling to move on and desires one more well maybe a few more conversations with Dad.
Her relationship with her partner after another miscarriage is doomed, despite the efforts. Her Mum is trying to move on with her life despite Alfie’s best efforts to sabotage it although it appears to be coming from a point of grief rather than malice. The complications and complexity of relationships are captured with honesty in Dead Air.
Alfie had turned to a company where receptionist Hayley guides her to her father through AiR which is an AI chatbot. The customer updates the deceased’s details and the AI brings the person back to life from the information they have been given, verbally only I think.
It felt sad as Alfie was being exploited financially by the company to the point where her father had a barcode tattooed onto his bottom for Alfie to scan pay and keep him alive.
The mood of the deceased can be controlled by a temperature button, the hotter they get the more honest and blunt they become. The conversations between Alfie and her father fluctuate between calm and damn right rude.
Alfrun Rose plays all the characters and bring the Scandinavian voice of her deceased father to life with ease. Her father’s reactions are not always what she expects and there’s a few surprises along the way.
The narrative glides telling the touching story of grief and holding onto someone at any cost whether it is emotionally or financially just for one more conversation.
Rose’s performance comes from the heart and there are moments where the “beautiful wordsmithed” descriptions caught me off guard and I felt every word. It’s emotional and humorous in equal measures. The AI side of the story exploiting loved ones will become a widespread reality at some point.
For more information about Dead Air please use the link below.
Five Stars.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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