Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Peter Falk and Jason Alexander starred in a play called "Defiled," about "the dangers of modern technology"



Playbill:
In the play, a young librarian's world is turned upside down when a computer threatens to replace the institution's idiosyncratic card catalogue filing system. He threatens to blow up the library if its filing system becomes computerized.

Alexander will be the librarian and Falk is the police negotiator sent in. 
As “Defiled” opens, Harry Mendelssohn (Alexander) is finishing up some last-minute preparations. He’s already tied dynamite to the glorious columns of his beloved library, rigged a device to trigger the explosives, and left behind a note with his much-despised former employer explaining his very straightforward motivation and intent

...

In the most effective monologue of the play, Harry goes through the entire history of libraries, from before the printing press to the sublime accomplishment of Melville Dewey and his decimal system, and when he concludes, it’s impossible not to wish for him to emerge victorious over the impending hegemony of the computer age.