Dead Air (and WIP), Written and performed by Alfrun Rose, Greenwich Theatre |13 – 16 May 2026 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by Indigo Cleverley

Photo credit: Jannica Honey

Dead Air (and WIP)

Written and performed by Alfrun Rose

Greenwich Theatre |13 – 16 May 2026

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by Indigo Cleverley

“…a wonderous blend of grief, comedy, memory and identity.”

After a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2025, Dead Air arrives at Greenwich Theatre full to the brim with important questions and commentary through deeply distinctive storytelling and dark comedy.

The show follows Alfie, whose frustration with her job, the people around her and general overwhelming loneliness lead her to crave the comfort of her father, who died three years prior. Thanks to AiR, an AI chatbot for the dead, Alfie is able to technologically resurrect her father, or some version of him, providing her with a listening ear and familiarity in proceeding with her life, plagued by grief.  As with all evolving technology, it’s never as easy as it seems and as her ‘father’s’ responses become more unpredictable and Alfie becomes absorbed in this alternate state of mind, she struggles to maintain a sturdy grip on reality. 

With the evolution of Artificial Intelligence technology threatening the creative arts and severing the uniqueness of human emotion and connection, this production is a harrowingly real example of the exploitative nature of AI companies and the dangers posed by the exponential growth and development of them. Through cheery jingles, obsessive promotional dialogue and an eerie voice effect, we are introduced to the online service’s uncanniness and are naturally fearful of the power it holds.

The protagonist, Alfie, is absorbingly charismatic and quick-witted, drawing the audience into her emotional turmoil and struggles with navigating grief with a desire to cling to the past and its comfort. Alfie’s complex dynamics with her hippy mother, her detached boyfriend, uninspiring boss and most interestingly, John – her dad’s best friend inching towards step-dad - are all cunningly explored with Alfrun Rose portraying all seven characters in the show. Rose’s adaptability is showcased through this, inhibiting subtle changes to differentiate the characters, assisted by the sharp scriptwriting, to absorb the audience into the layered, strained relationships and how they develop throughout the story.

Reliant on the storytelling, this production has very little changes in set and lighting, the only set piece being a microphone with a green light illuminating Rose as she speaks into it. With a story revolving around technology, it would be fascinating to see a more visually developed production with changes to lighting effects and additional props to contribute to the atmosphere and setting and bring the audience into Alfie’s world. However, even without these additions, Dead Air’s beautiful and moving writing manages to illustrate Alfie’s world to a strong enough extent.

Dead Air is a wonderous blend of grief, comedy, memory and identity with uniquely meaningful writing and captivating storytelling. With comparisons to ‘A female Hamlet’ and Black Mirror, this interrogative technological deep dive is heartfelt, resourceful and ominously relevant.

Writer and Performer: Alfrun Rose

Director: Anna María Tómasdóttir

Producer: Double Daughter Productions and Glimrandi ehf