By Ron Bingham
This is a play written by and starring Alexa Elmy, which takes place in a meeting room for Alexas Anonymous, a group of people who are unfortunate to have the same name as Amazon’s intrusive little assistant. I have no idea where she could have come up with the idea, but I get the impression that this is very much a passion project for Alexa, and a way of venting frustration at the idea a company can just take someone’s name and trademark it.
In the play, we the audience are all named Alexa (or close variants), and we are encouraged to join in some of the team building and relaxation exercises (nothing embarrassing) before the meetings get underway. As the meetings progress through the Nine Steps of AA, we watch our host gradually start to break down as the pressure builds. Can she (and us) win back the right to our name or is it eternally in the hands of Jeff Bezos (and his minions)?
Alexa has done a very good job with this story, throwing in comic moments and embarrassing stories along with a lot of Alexa jokes (probably taken from real life). There are no other cast members, and just a few props on stage to help the flow of the story.
A very interesting cautionary story, told in an amusing and inventive way. Definitely one to see, especially if you’re named Alexa/Alex/Allegra/etc.
Alexa, Play has finished its run.