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Imagine the headline, "Cure for Cancer Found." If only it were that simple.... Playwright Aaron Loeb invites us to imagine a world in which such a miraculous medical breakthrough takes place while he exposes the tangled, often troubling web of commerce, science, and ethics that shapes how innovations actually reach the public. The piece carries an almost allegorical force, and its three central figures embody the triad of competing interests that inform late capitalism. Willa, a gifted doctor, has developed a genetic diagnostic tool capable of detecting and potentially eradicating disease. At first she seems motivated by intellectual curiosity and the exhilaration of discovery, yet her personal ambitions gradually appear more opaque and troubling. Paul, an older venture capitalist, has built a company that seeks profit while professing a commitment to social good. However, he sees no real moral issue in using the new discovery to create designer babies. His business partner May begins with a similar blend of motives, but as events unfold she becomes the ethical centre of the drama, increasingly disturbed by the implications of the technology and its use. Science and business emerge as fundamentally amoral forces. Each operates according to its own internal logic, indifferent to the moral consequences. Government, meanwhile, is portrayed as ineffectual, unable to restrain either domain as society drifts towards a bleak, apocalyptic future of its own making. The play presents a dense and intellectually demanding argument, confronting the audience with a succession of intricate moral dilemmas. At times, however, the complexity becomes unwieldy. The ideas can feel diffuse and occasionally overwhelming, while the narrative framework struggles to contain them. There are moments when the story is submerged beneath the argument, and others when the argument is simplified to serve the demands of narrative clarity. Despite these issues, the work remains engrossing and admirably ambitious. Letty Thomas gives Willa a chilling, steely detachment, capturing a scientist whose brilliance is matched by an unsettling moral indifference. Lloyd Owen presents Paul as outwardly humane yet ultimately self-serving, a man capable of empathy within his immediate circle but largely indifferent beyond it. Millicent Wong charts May’s transformation with subtlety and conviction, moving from confident advocate of capitalism to a figure increasingly troubled by its ethical cost. Ultimately, R.O.I. (Return on Investment) is a bold and thought-provoking exploration of the fraught intersection between innovation, profit, and morality. Although it occasionally falters under the weight of its own ideas, its incisive themes, sombre vision, and finely judged performances ensure that it leaves a powerful and lingering impression.
Rated: ★★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marc Brenner
When, Where, Getting there:
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