In the digital age, our devices have become essential to our being. With the tap of a finger you can buy a new outfit, check your emails or even scout out a love interest. Technology has certainly made our lives easier, but has it made them better?

Golem, a fantastical tale which fuses film, animation, performance and live music, sets out a dystopian world where its inhabitants are taken over by the dark forces of consumerism and progression.

The production, shown at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich on the last day of Pulse Festival 2017, centres around the journey of timid outcast Robert, who tries to turn around his fortunes by buying a Golem, a functioning clay man which follows his every command.

At first all is well: Golem goes to work for him, does the shopping and makes him more stylish, but as the clay man advances it becomes less clear who is in control.

“Move with the times or get left behind”, chants Golem, as it starts to speak like the advertisements it sees in shop windows or on the television.

One scene, which raised the roof with laughter, poked fun at modern day online and mobile dating sites as Robert enters the Courtomatic, where he is asked a series of questions in a bid to find his perfect match within its database of singles.

By the end the Golem is updated to a small chip which can be inserted straight into the mind, turning humans into clone-like creatures who ‘want for nothing and wake up every day with a smile’.

The polished 90-minute production features five actors, who play a number of characters each, dashing around for various costume changes and stage rearrangement without putting a foot out of place.

This satirical masterpiece was like nothing I have ever seen before, a truly innovative piece of theatre and one with a powerful message.

Golem, by theatre company 1927, will leave you reevaluating your relationship with your smart phone and other material possessions, and will open your eyes to the power advertising has over its consumers in the 21st Century.