R.O.I. (Return on Investment)

What is the price of good health? In R.O.I., ethical boundaries, financial gains, and corporate back stabbing play against the desire to make an impact on the well-being of our fellow human beings.

Two venture capitalists are debating what their next big project will be: Paul, (Bay Area favorite Anthony Fusco) the founder of The Montrose Fund and mentor to May, (earnest Sharon Shao) who is eager to prove her value. Mention of avoiding scandalous high-profile health technology start-ups like Theranos tells the audience where this is going. Greed, tech, capitalism.

There are huge screens above the stage on the right and left. With a prodigious use of projections, R.O.I. drops you into the action as we see May, a young woman in her 30s walking briskly along the sidewalk on the right screen and then enter the stage just below it. The use of these devices indicate we are dealing with high-tech issues.

As the play begins, May shares that her recent interview was with someone who has a chip that will be implanted in people’s cerebral cortex. It’s too creepy to entertain the idea. Society is not ready for that.

May’s next appointment is Dr. Willa McGovern (versatile Lauren English) who nervously reads from index cards to present the case for her gene altering system to cure cancer. With a company name like PreCure, how can it fail?

Willa initially is adamant that she does not want to involve big pharma nor foreign financing. Paul argues that the more basic question is profitability. “Our fund exists to get the greatest returns by doing the most good,” says Paul in an effort to convince Willa to sign on with The Montrose Fund. The problem is, who decides what “good” is? There is also the question of who will benefit from the treatment.

A heated disagreement between the investors and Willa ends with an unspoken liaison between Paul and Willa.

Sharon Shao and Lauren English

Countering the stereotype of capitalists as uncaring and unethical, Chinese-American May is meant to be the voice of reason in the play. And though Paul is a misogynist and racist, humor balances the heavy questions. There is warm and sassy banter between them.

As the story progresses, however, sharper conflicts emerge as hidden entanglements are revealed, along with ethical questions as to the drug’s efficacy, foreign testing that might be illegal in the U.S., and most importantly, the personal relationships between the characters.

At one point May shouts, “I’m not your therapist!”

The power conflict between the two women, which is the heart of the play, comes to a dramatic climax at the congressional hearings.

Playwright Loeb cleverly addresses Silicon Valley business issues and important life decisions. Director Moscone deftly guides this fast-paced cautionary tale to its stunning conclusion. Don’t miss it!

R.O.I. (Return On Investment) by Aaron Loeb, directed by Jonathan Moscone, scenic design by Bill English, Costumes by Y. Sharon Peng, lighting design by Charlie Mejia, Sound design by James Ard, properties by Justin Hammer, and projections by Sarah Phykitt by San Francisco Playhouse at Creativity Theater, 221 4th Street, San Francisco. - to September 5, 2026.

Info: https://sfplayhouse.org

Cast: Lauren English, Anthony Fusco, Sharon Shao, and Bonnie Akimoto.