SAMUEL & ALASDAIR:
A PERSONAL HISTORY
OF THE ROBOT WAR

In an alternate global history, the cold war was decided not by detente, not by nuclear holocaust, but by massive robot invasion. Among the survivors, a team of Russian radio hosts, warmed to a lost culture of 1950s Americana, broadcast a story of brothers’ love drawn straight from the American heartland. “Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War” combines 1950s radio drama, vintage country music, and Soviet science for a look back in time and forward to what’s next.

Creator Credits

Created by The Mad Ones, Directed by Lila Neugebauer, Set Design by Laura Jellinek, Costume Design by Jessica Pabst, Lighting Design by Mike Inwood, Sound Design by Stowe Nelson, Music Direction by Michael Dalto

Featuring Marc Bovino, Joe Curnutte, Michael Dalto and Stephanie Wright Thompson

Production History

Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War had a limited run at The Brick’s Antidepressant Festival and Ars Nova’s ANT Fest in 2009. The production premiered at The Brick in April 2010 and transferred to The New Ohio Theatre for it’s Manhattan premiere in January 2012.

Press Raves

The New York Times | Critics’ Pick

  • “Written by Mr. Bovino and Mr. Curnutte, and fluidly directed by Lila Neugebauer, the show doesn’t burlesque its pop culture sources but honors them. When Ms. Wright Thompson’s Anastasia sings, the music has real power. ” —Rachel Saltz

New York Magazine / Vulture

  • “This is one of the most smoothly functional theatrical metaphors you’ll have seen in a while, a great, small play about decline and denial and the subtler, unspoken bonds of devotion. Without a crumb of optimism, Samuel & Alasdair is still a spot of warmth in a cold world.” —Scott Brown

  • Top 10 shows of 2012

TimeOut NY | 4 Stars

  • “The show may feel as fragile as a vacuum tube, but it’s actually unbreakably deft- and delightful to its minutest detail… rest assured, you are safe in the hands of some confident new theatrical talents.” —Helen Shaw

Village Voice

  • “…pleasantly eccentric and unexpectedly poignant … the acting is dynamic” —Alexis Soloski

Awards and Nominations

  • Winner of New York Innovative Theatre Awards for Outstanding Production of A Play, Outstanding Ensemble, and Outstanding Sound Design.

  • The Independent Theater Bloggers Association 2012 recipient of the Fourth Annual Patrick Lee Theater Blogger Awards Outstanding Off-Off Broadway Play

  • Drama Desk Nomination Outstanding Sound Design for Stowe Nelson

Production Support

Samuel & Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War was supported through co-productions with The Brick and The New Ohio Theatre.