Detailed Review of Lauren Gunderson's Ada and the Engine

This report provides a detailed review of Lauren Gunderson's play, "Ada and the Engine." The review focuses on the historical context of the play, which centers on Ada Lovelace, the daughter of Lord Byron, and her relationship with Charles Babbage. The play explores themes of love, information, and the making of modern life. The reviewer highlights the performances of Emily Karel as Ada and Wayne Asbury as Charles Babbage, along with the set design and costumes. The review emphasizes the play's feminist undertones and its ability to challenge and engage the audience. It concludes by noting the play's poetic and mathematical ideas, and its exploration of the computer age, advocating for the recognition of women in a patriarchal society. The reviewer praises the play's impact and its ability to make the audience think and feel deeply about the characters and their world.

Running head: REVIEW ON THE THEATRE ADA AND THE ENGINE
Review on the Theatre Ada and the Engine
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REVIEW ON THE THEATRE ADA AND THE ENGINE
One of the famous creation of the playwright of United States is Lauren Gunderson’s
“Ada and the Engine”. It is about the female character prevalent in the history, the daughter
of Lord Byron and her friendship with Charles Babbage, the 19th century inventor of
computer.
It spins around the thematic discussion of making of modern life, love and
information. It is a co-production of the Glass Dove Productions and the New Hampshire
Theatre Project. The entire cast had brought about the main theme of romance and passion
and logic really well. The character of Ada as a fierce and charming lady was performed by
Emily Karel. Charles Babbage, the soul mate of Ada recognized the ability within and
encouraged her into mathematics. Wayne Asbury was cast for the character of Charles
Babbage, the powerful and sturdy man and Constance Witman as the character of Lady
Byron, that is Ada’s mother who always tried to squeeze her into the boundaries of the social
construct and was not at all comfortable with Ada’s growing infinity towards Charles and her
obsession with machines.
Lauren Gunderson had been successful in his attempt to bring the people and the
audience out of their comfort zone and the make them think, analyse and feel for the main
character of the play Ada Lovelace. The set designed by Quentin Stockwell stood out at that
time, because the art of the theatre portrayed everything that was correct, and precious. The
mood of that era was captured by the perfect blend of bold and clean set, and the audiences
were pleased with the lightning sand he costumes that were so well designed by Tavya
Young and Tracy Theatricals respectively.
The playwright of the play has very tactfully brought in the historical details of the
myth and the facts but with the help of it, she has boosted and strengthened the feminist
origin of the play. The play represent the strong will of Ada Lovelace, as she refused to be

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REVIEW ON THE THEATRE ADA AND THE ENGINE
defeated and demeaned by any sort of external and unwanted force. Thus the production
worked onto the development of the main theme of feminism which included the concept of
triumph and transcendence. Ada Lovelace thus represented the women of her time, who were
not supposed to be subjugated by the social constructs and revealed the intellectual thrill that
the women possessed.
During the last few minutes of the play, Lauren Gunderson takes the story to an
entirely new direction, which attracts the audience and increases the richness of the play. All
the more it makes the play interesting, more absorbing and heart-breaking too. “Ada and the
Engine” thus proved to be a play that etched a serious impact over the audience’s mind, as the
main protagonist of the play had the capability to look up to her future and make an attempt
to change it with the help of her genius mind and the use of mathematics and numbers. The
play is also abundant with the poetical ideas along with a combination of the mathematical
ideas.
The play continues to recount on the relationship and the passion between Ada
Lovelace and Charles Babbage and in this process, through this lens Gunderson throws light
upon the age of information and the computer age. It was almost a sarcastic response to the
entire society and a message that was taught by the playwright that the women of that age
was not supposed to be underestimated by the patriarchal domination, and not even by the
superior forces.