How do you teach someone to be human? The latest production from Flying V, Carla Milarch’s Doctor Moloch, thinks it has an answer: you can’t. Humanity comes from within, says the playwright; it’s either there or it isn’t. The real question is knowing when and how to use one’s own humanity for good.
With this uncharacteristically straightforward production from a company more frequently known for immersive and “out of the box” experiences, Madeleine Regina nonetheless directs Milarch’s three-hander with gusto and elegance. At its core, Doctor Moloch offers a meditation on human empathy, relationships, and trust in the most unlikely, but timely, of avenues: artificial intelligence. In the not-too-distant future — the year 2029 to be exact — Silicon Valley tech mogul Mo (Andrew Chi) has nearly perfected the first humanoid AI robot, Doctor Moloch (James Finley). Moloch was designed to advance the medical field with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The trouble is, Doctor Moloch’s bedside manner could use some work. Mo believes he can help Moloch become more empathetic and gentle by hiring Academy Award–winning actress Serena Blaise (Nhea Durousseau), a self-proclaimed expert in human behavior, to teach him. Old-school artistry meets sci-fi thriller in Milarch’s smart and savvy drama.
As if seen through the AI bot’s own eyes, a luminous molecular backdrop blinks to life as Moloch enters a secure interior setting. Dom Ocampo’s minimalist set design succeeds with the help of Malory Hartman’s lightscape, which effectively captures both the simulated dreamworld of Silicon Valley and the nightmare that lies beyond its reach. Modeled as a conventionally attractive young man dressed in muted khakis, teal, and grey sportswear, Moloch enters the playing space causally but with a touch of artificial poise. Inviting an abundantly skeptical Serena into the room — she is already entangled in a lawsuit over the use of AI representation in the media — Mo reveals the extremely lucrative task at hand: 10 million dollars if she succeeds in teaching Moloch to act more like a human.
Costumed simply but with astute attention to character detail by Nyasha Klusmann, each character embodies an archetypal trope in a greater conversation about scientific advancement. Mo is after the money; Serena mourns the loss of human integrity; and, most ironically — and perhaps most persuasively — Moloch encapsulates our most significant and most unspoken fears regarding AI: how do we control it? And how much are we willing to risk for it?
Durousseau’s blasé cynicism pairs well with Finley’s cool, considerate altruism, creating a calculated yet deeply intimate tension in this small-scale epic. Durousseau’s take on Serena is refreshingly consistent but somehow muted compared to Finley. Chi’s Mo provides much-needed comic relief but, first and foremost, steers the plot and its many twists and turns. The director seemed to aim for a more stylistic approach to the script. While visually compelling, this approach felt limiting in terms of character payoff. For a script so focused on the meaning of empathy, it’s a little challenging to empathize with the characters themselves.
Though hesitant at first, Serena and Moloch form an unexpected bond over the course of Milarch’s play. Durousseau and Finley’s chemistry was best exemplified when Moloch supported Serena over the loss of her son to addiction. Despite their emerging sense of trust and friendship, Moloch, however, is bound by the rigidity of Azimov’s laws (a plot device borrowed from 1940s science fiction author Isaac Asimov, who articulates these laws in several of his stories). According to Asimov’s Laws: 1) a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Yet, there is a fourth law, unbeknownst to anyone except the manufacturer: A robot may not divulge information that could jeopardize its owner’s market cap. In obeying each of these laws, Moloch ensures his ability to protect and serve the human species at all costs. But there is a catch. In following each of these laws, Moloch self-polices his own humanity, remaining unable to recognize his own emotional instincts — which can be as tied to love as they are to hate for the human race.
As the playwright smartly borrows from Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” In a dynamite second act, Milarch’s drama heats up as each character weighs the pros and cons of AI’s existence and looks directly into Moloch’s future — a future that will unwittingly shape the impact of human security as we know it. With so much left to be explored about the ethics of artificial intelligence, Flying V’s timely production reminds us that humanity may be difficult to define, but that it often reveals itself in moments most difficult to face.
Running Time: 110 minutes, including one intermission.
Doctor Moloch plays through November 2, 2025, presented by Flying V performing at Silver Spring Black Box, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD. For tickets ($35), purchase them online. Learn more here.
The program is online here.
