Theatre can be a varied medium. There is classic Greek theatre, Shakespeare, Commedia d’ell arte, American theatre and the theatre of the absurd; the list goes on and on from there. But are any of them truer to the art than the others? If so, which?

UNI Interpreter’s Theatre ran the original play, “The Inferno,” last weekend. The play, written by Paul Siddens and directed by Katie Grassi, is a modern retelling of Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

The plot follows a college student named Dannie and the High Priestess Authentica through the nine circles of Hell, a la Dante and Virgil. They encounter personifications of the deadly sins and the technological version of the devil, renamed Electronicus, who has created technology to bring down humanity. The play’s main focus is on our current society’s addiction to technology; the dependence is depicted through the circles of Hell and the sinners there.

While the script does an excellent job of adapting Dante’s original epic poem to suit modern audiences and incorporate contemporary “sins” to fit into Dante’s version of Hell, most of the dialogue came off as preachy. There was a fair amount of wit and comedy in the script, but it seemed as though most of the dialogue came from Dannie and Authentica about the sinful state of the world. Granted, that seemed to be the play’s intended message, but it could have been presented in a subtler way.

It almost felt as though someone was reading an article in a theatre rather than watching a play. Having said that, the set and other theatrics would not let an audience member doze. Prior to the play starting, actors were already sprawled about the set and creeping under the seats, often banging loudly on the platforms or even grabbing at audience members’ feet.

There’s a specific part of the play that was very interesting. Dannie and Authentica encounter Thomas Edison, Madame Curie and Johannes Guttenberg in limbo. These inventors are stuck there, as they did not partake in any of the deadly sins; they also provide some insight to the role technology plays in our everyday lives. It’s an interesting concept, asking the technological forerunners of their day about technology.

They ultimately state that they are proud of their achievements even though they contributed to society’s addiction to technology today. It is a fresh point of view that is much needed against the technology-damning feeling one gets from the rest of the play.

The set was largely constructed of slanted, off-center planks that demonstrated the disorder of Hell.

One glaring problem in this production was the projection screen that was above the set at center stage. The screen projected pictures of modern sins in the form of technology, fast food, pornography, etc.

The actors also seemed to use it along with their dialogue as a kind of aid which just felt wrong. A play’s dialogue should be able to stand up on its own without visual assistance, in my opinion. The screen seemed unnecessary and took the audience out of the world the play was creating.

The acting in the play was up and down in terms of quality. Cody Breitspecher and Ashley Armantrout gave strong performances as Dannie and Authentica. Cole Fox played Electronicus as a devilish character with an odd, nerdy twist. Being that the character is supposed to be a version of Satan, it’s natural to expect some charm in the portrayal. However, none was found here.

Electronicus was meant to be an all-powerful ruler of Hell, but he came off as campy and miniscule, especially in comparison to the cast of sinners. Most of the sinners (Envy, Sloth, Pride, Greed, Lust, Gluttony and Wrath) gave strong and honest performances.

It is no easy feat to play a sin or really an act rather than a person, and these actors pulled it off quite well. There is the furiously loud and sometimes funny Wrath, played by Taylor Coons, the Donald Trump-esque Greed, played by Jakob Reha, the sensual and moaning Lust, played by Jessica Buchanan and the hilarious Pride, complete with an affected southern accent, played by Mallory Park.

Overall, “The Inferno” is not a bad theatre piece. However, it lays its message on a little too thick. An audience member should leave the theatre with a message, but they should come to it on their own rather than having it foisted upon them from the moment the lights go down. “The Inferno” brings to light important issues in our society, but it could have done it in a more subtle way.