You & It: The Musical continues at the Assembly Checkpoint until 25 August 2024.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Just flashback to the tech blackout last month and it’s not hard to gauge how significant a role technology plays in our everyday lives. But how much has the reliance on automation hurt our communication with other people, the intimacy we nurture, and the love?
That’s exactly the kind of question EG Musical Company’s new musical You & It addresses (part of the Korean Season presented by AtoBIZ Ltd in partnership with Assembly).
At the beginning artists Mina (Jane Chun) and Gyujin (Sanghyeok Kim) are very much in love and eager to plan a future together (‘every day is a serenade’) but a devastating accident results in the couple having to restart their relationship from the very beginning.
It seems wrong to include too many spoilers in this review, but it is clear after a short honeymoon period that this ‘version’ of Mina doesn’t want to get stuck in the past. Sentimentality is out of the window and gadgets and gizmos that make life more efficient, ‘easier and better’ are the way forward.
Gyujin, on the other hand, yearns for spontaneity, fun and messiness. In the early stages of the story, ceramist Mina examines a cup she has made and comments on the cracks in the material. She wants to keep it as a reminder that life will have its flaws and that’s not a bad thing. That approach to existence is a mystery to the new Mina.
You & It has beauty and lyricism in the way it discusses what it is about the value of love that only humans can understand, that AI could never fully decipher. It is an ambitious premise but the writing manages to leave you with plenty to ponder as the tale reaches its unsettling conclusion. There are some lush melodies and arrangements, wonderfully played by just one talented accompanist, and the performances are heartfelt (Chun is a standout).
The main disappointment is that there is not much of a distinction between the different songs and the narrative does seem rather predictable at times. With perhaps some work on these elements, there could be a chance the piece would have a more emotional connection.
Lisa Martland
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