Electric Rosary review – spooky cyber-sister spurs startling visions

Royal Exchange theatre, Manchester
Is a council-funded robot nun the answer to prayers at a convent in crisis? Tim Foley's prize-winning play proves ingenious and thrilling

Startling and audacious in its conception, Tim Foley's play collides religion and technology, ritual and algorithms, tradition and innovation. A Bruntwood prize for playwriting winner in 2017, and only just receiving its premiere now, it is a brilliant example of what the competition should be all about.

As the play opens, St Grace's Convent is in trouble. The mother superior has died, the coffers are almost empty and morale is low. In desperation, Elizabeth, the new acting mother, brings in Mary - a council-funded robot who divides opinion among the sisters. But could she be the miracle they all need?