A Killing At La Cucina brings murder mystery to a tech savvy age at Vertigo Theatre

Vertigo Theatre’s latest production and Canadian premiere, “A Killing at La Cucina,” merges human drama with technological tension in a classic whodunit — or rather, how dunnit.

Introducing Lucia Dante and her AI assistant, a new hot-shot detective and her unique AI-powered sidekick; as the first grapples with loss, the latter grapples with its own identity.

In an era where it is extremely faux pas to use AI to do what a human actor can, Vertigo has chosen to use a human to voice the AI character. Director Jack Grinhaus said using humans as actors is a policy Vertigo hopes to adhere to moving forward.

“We at Vertigo are very against using artificial intelligence for the artistic endeavour, we like working with people, we like bodies, we like humans… Humans provide a certain level of nuance that machines can’t, but we did need to kind of bring this question in,” Grinhaus said.

The story follows Lucia Dante, called to investigate the mysterious death of a food critic at a high-tech restaurant named Fate. The restaurant, known for its cutting-edge virtual reality experiences, attracts foodies and risk-takers alike. Within every 1,000 customers served, one person is poisoned and dies. Dante probes whether a food critic’s death was simply a twist of fate, or murder.

Grinhaus pointed out that while the play incorporates futuristic technology like virtual reality, the issues it explores are anything but far-fetched.

“Whether you like it or not, this is a reality,” he said, drawing parallels to past technological shifts in entertainment. “The future is going to include AI and virtual reality, whether we like it or not, whether we agree with it or not.”

The play runs through April 13 at Vertigo Theatre.

Tickets can be found here.