Stage Review - Ada and the Engine (Edmonds Driftwood Players)

Stage Review - Ada and the Engine
Presented By: Edmonds Driftwood Players - Edmonds, WA
Show Run: March 01 - March 17, 2024
Date Reviewed: Friday, March 01, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Theatre is entertainment, first and foremost. If it wasn’t entertaining, we wouldn’t choose it over the many alternatives that compete against it for our time, attention, and (let’s face it) money. Above and beyond the entertainment factor, where live theatre excels is in its ability to educate and to inform, to provide a forum for introspection and consideration. Good theatre does both, entertains and provides value through its message or impact through education. Ada and the Engine, the 2018 piece from playwright Lauren Gunderson, is one such play. Onstage at the Wade James Theatre in Edmonds and presented by the Edmonds Driftwood Players, Ada and the Engine is another in the series of historical works written by Gunderson, who is also credited with titles including The Book of Will and Silent Sky. Gunderson has a knack for viewing her historical work through a scientific lens, many of her plays are either about science directly, or have a scientific angle to them. Ada and the Engine is no different, as it tells the story of Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and Lady Anabella Byron, who as a result of her father’s philandering and other misdeeds has been nudged away from the poetic and toward the scientific by her mother. The plan backfires, as Ada is not only enthralled with her father’s poetry, but also becomes downright obsessive about science and mathematics. Upon meeting Charles Babbage, who is credited with the invention of the first mechanical computer, first through his “Difference Engine” and later his “Analytical Engine”, Ada dedicates herself to the work of Babbage, much to her mother’s chagrin. While Lady Anabella means for Ada to marry, and marry well, society’s expectations are the farthest thing from her mind.

While yes, there is science here, the details are very accessible, as there’s a clear line between Babbage’s work and our computers at home as well as our mobile phones and all of their computational power. There’s even the hint of the consideration of Artificial Intelligence here, as in when Ada talks about Babbage’s machine perhaps one day creating its own art. So, there’s science, but the play is not altogether scientific in its dialogue. And while there is that scientific element, at its heart, Ada and the Engine is a tale of love, family, and friendship. The show examines the many types of love, and the various aspects of each. There’s the love that a mother has for her daughter, Lady Anabella doing what she believes is the right thing to prevent Ada from going down what she feels could be a painful path. There’s the love of a husband for his wife, as well as the love of a man or a woman and their work. Add to that the consideration of loving someone for their mind versus their heart, or conflating love of work for love of a person, and it’s clear that Ada and the Engine provides a lot to ponder. It’s a beautiful love story, wrapped in a history lesson. It’s also the perfect kickoff to Women’s History Month.

The Edmonds Driftwood Players production is directed by Eric Bischoff, who has assembled a nice cast for Ada and the Engine as well as an understated but effective design. Guneet Kaur Banga is Ada Lovelace here, and her presentation is very well done. Her Ada is smart, independently minded, and confident. She’s the focal point of the show, of course, and Guneet does very well to show her eagerness, her happiness, and her pain when she needs to. Guneet is good throughout, but her performance reaches its high water mark at about the 1 hour and 50 minute mark, in a scene that is both heart-wrenching and bittersweet. It’s the single best scene of this show. Playing opposite Guneet is Sumant Gupta as Charles Babbage. I like Sumant’s portrayal here, too, he holds himself as someone in Babbage’s position would, and his chemistry with Guneet is clear, especially in the opening to Act 2. Ingrid Sanai Buron is Ada’s overbearing mother Lady Anabella. Think of this character as the sort that completely disregards her daughter’s feelings as she pushes her own social agenda, case in point discounting Ada’s feelings for Babbage while she pushes her daughter to marry Lord Lovelace (BJ Smyth). Ingrid does extremely well as Lady Anabella, clearly embittered by her experience with Lord Byron while trying to keep a pleasant front. And BJ’s Lord Lovelace is a nice turn as well, there’s a transformational element to this character that is a pleasant surprise. It’s at that same 1 hours and 50 minute mark I mentioned before when each of these characters are frankly at their best. Each actor is on top of the emotion needed to bring this show to that climactic moment. Rounding out the cast is fellow scientist and friend Mary Sommerville, played by Elizabeth Shipman. She’s not onstage a great deal, but when she is, her work does very well to support the story.

I will say that my biggest criticism with the show, and something that is more content related than anything, is how the show itself ends. There’s a clear spot, for my money, that would be so much more impactful if Ada and the Engine would end there, but instead Gunderson appends an epilogue to that moment. We do get to see Ines Kreitlein as Lord Byron here, so I’m glad for that, but the ending seems generally unnecessary and largely drawn out.

All and all, I enjoyed Ada and the Engine. The play is well written, especially for those who may not be inclined scientifically, and the acting is very good. Leanne Markle’s set is simple, a series of gears that are used as platforms for the show’s implied locations, and the lighting (Gwyn Skone) and sound (Eric Bischoff) combine to provide setting and mood very nicely. There’s nothing altogether complicated about either, but they work here in support of the story. I very much liked Diane Johnston’s costumes, they stand out for their accuracy and intricate design. Eric has also complemented the overall design with the use of projections, providing a visual reference to correspondence or scientific discussion. It’s a nice touch, though I’ll admit I found myself, especially when projecting what are assumed to be letters between Ada and Babbage, trying to read the projections, which did make me realize that there were only a few standard projections that kept rotating through. Unique projections for each letter, even if they were partial, would have made for a nice touch, but this is surely not a deal breaker and in no way takes away from the overall enjoyment of the show.

The Edmonds Driftwood Players are kicking off Women’s History Month with a science lesson, shining a light on Ada Lovelace, a much overlooked figure in the history of computational science. In a production designed with a minimalistic approach and a group of actors that do wonderfully to portray these varied figures, this poetic love story wrapped in a tale of historical events is an excellent offering from this group.

Ada and the Engine, presented by the Edmonds Driftwood Players, runs on stage at the Wade James Theatre in Edmonds through March 17. For more information, including ticket availability and purchase, visit https://edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org.

Photo credit: Dale Sutton