Will O’Mahony’s Day (After Day) in the Life of the Useless, presented by Black Swan Theatre, throws us headfirst into the chaotic, sad yet wildly funny existential crisis of the main character, Pete (played by Will O’Mahony himself). Told in a series of 45 fast-paced episodes, the play takes us on a whirlwind tour of Pete’s life – where mishap after mishap unfolds, starting with a savage breakup by his fiancée the day before his wedding. Accused by her of being a robot, Pete takes to an AI chatbot for advice, which tells him (after exactly 1.49 seconds) that the best revenge is living well. Huh. Easier said than done, it seems.
With a witty script, clever staging (Fiona Bruce) and some purposefully odd costuming (Rhiannon Walker), O’Mahony’s world-premiere play asks a question that feels more urgent with every ChatGPT update: Is AI making us obsolete? What happens when the machines move faster than we do?
The contrast between the characters’ tech-driven world and their very human – read: messy, organic, imperfect – actions and reactions drives home the play’s real point: expecting humans to be perfect is an absurd standard to begin with.
The small but mighty cast do heavy lifting, each actor slipping effortlessly into multiple roles with a versatility that makes the show seem far larger than it is. But it is O’Mahony’s nuanced Pete that steals the show, with his world-weary acceptance of each ridiculous problem that comes his way.
Day (After Day) in the Life of the Useless is a cautionary tale, if anything. Because at the end of the day (after day), for all its speed and efficiency, AI is just as capable of getting it wrong as the humans it outpaces. Perhaps the real revenge isn’t living well. Perhaps it is simply being wonderfully, hopelessly human.
Day (After Day) in the Life of the Useless is running until 20th September.