Gripping and so unbelievably relevant today, Caryl Churchill’s play A Number tackles the emotional and moral ramifications of cloning. First produced in 2002, the play’s exploration of its theme hits very strongly to this day of advanced technology and generative AI, as it ask the hard questions of how far technology should be used when facing the harsh challenges of life.
This production marks the directorial debut of actor JC Santos, who also stars as three distinct characters in the play – three clones acting opposite Bart Guingona, playing the clone’s father. It’s a short play, spanning just a little over an hour, the tight narrative unfolds across five confrontation scenes between father and his offspring or a variation of such. Despite its sci-fi foundation, the play focuses on the heavy emotional weight of the effects of society towards the individual and to society. It is a heavy drama that requires the both actors to be wholly present at all times, with Santos having to change characters right before our eyes. It is a demanding piece for its actors and the players do an excellent job at it.
The play opens with a son narrating his experience to his father of seeing his exact duplicate in public. They realise clones of him have been made, their conversation explores the effect of such a discovery on one’s identity. But as the story unfolds, we discover there are secrets that have been kept, dark secrets but with good intentions – if not twisted – behind them. With each encounter between the father and different variations of his son, he must reconcile his own actions, while the clones struggle to define the meaning in their existence when the question of their uniqueness is at stake.
As a British play, there’s a sense of formality in the language, but Churchill writes characters who are not the most eloquent or articulate of people. They are so overwhelmed by the events and the discovery of the dramatic situation that they often can’t finish their lines. It is a constant back-and-forth between father and son as they try to piece some level of rationality to their reality, and it’s very grounded and real in the way it captures that human experience. As actors, Santos and Guingona have to embody the confusion and the maelstrom of feelings this situation creates, throwing lines back and forth without missing a beat. It’s a terrific display of each performer’s acting prowess, with Santos having shifting from one clone to the next right on stage, bathed in light with only a slight costume change and an adjustment of his hair. His gait, his posture, and his line delivery all shift seamlessly. It’s a standout performance.
The stage is set at the center – a theater in the round – with the audience watching from all sides. The venue, the artist space WhyNot in Karrivin Plaza, has good acoustics, so neither performer uses a mic, keeping the show intimate and personal. The stage is bare except for two sets of very short glass corridors, which either character uses as an entrance and where Santos makes his costume changes. Cushioned blocks at the center serve as chairs, and at the ceiling, shedding light into the confrontations are LCD screens with an abstract display, to which I imagined as strands of DNA, which I was later able to confirm. There is a drone scoring – I was told it was designed live by sound artist Frankie Lalunio – amplifies the emotions as Santos seems to have directed the performances at a lower register, choosing to let the situation and the words display all the emotions. Everything is kept bubbling inside, not playing for the drama. It’s the sound design that helps cue us there.
With its minimalist approach, the play highlights all the confusion and existential questions that the narrative evokes. The question of how far we will go in using technology to make our lives “better” (quotation marks are necessary) becomes all the more biting as we see the dangerous effects of generative AI and social media on our society today. It’s a smart play. It’s a painful one. And it forces us to think, and hopefully, encourages us to act.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Presented by WHYNoT and The Necessary Theatre, A Number marks a compelling reunion for Bart Guingona and JC Santos following their sold-out 2023 hit Red, this time with Santos stepping into the director’s chair. The limited nine-show run plays from October 9–18, 2026 with performances at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM at WHYNoT. Don’t miss this gripping sci-fi drama. Book your seats now at Ticket2Me.
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