“Solaris,” the fascinating 2019 David Greig play now in its American premiere from Griffin Theatre, rests on an audacious premise. What if life on other planets does not resemble little green aliens so much as our consciousness?
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Or, to put that more bluntly, what if those creatures from outer space have figured out a way to get inside our heads?
When you’re watching this sci-fi drama, set on a space station orbiting the titular planet, you’re also often put in mind of the question as to whether life as we know it right now is, in fact, someone else’s simulacrum. And the further we move toward that notorious Mark Zuckerberg “metaverse,” or whatever, the more likely that appears.
If this stuff rings your intellectual bell, “Solaris” (which is based on the 1961 novel by the Polish scribe Stanislaw Lem) is your show.
In essence, we see three scientists exploring life beyond Earth. As they orbit this watery planet, they keep receiving mysterious visitors in their quarters, seemingly from Solaris itself. But the interlopers don’t have antennas or squishy faces; they take the form of emotionally resonant people in the scientist’s pasts, such as a lost lover or a child.
This sparks a variety of personal and ethical dilemmas: How do you comprehend or manage a complete facsimile of something you love, even if it’s a fake? And might it not be preferable to live entirely in that dream fulfilled? Would there be any reason to return to the real world, so to speak?
I’ll stop there before I spoil things. But the work does set you off wondering if there will ever be a metaverse where your lost loved ones can be seen or experienced again. And, of course, that means you have to interrogate whether that is a healthy thing. Probably not.
Heady stuff, which won’t be a surprise to fans of the masterful Scottish playwright Greig who also penned “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart,” seen at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2012. In this era of new voices, it’s also a pleasure to see a small Chicago company take on the work of a brilliant dramatic writer with decades of experience.
Director Scott Weinstein’s Griffin production is very solid: it uses a complex, interlocking set from Joe Schermoly that does slow things down at times but certainly matches the elliptical themes of a play obsessed with perception. And the piece generally is well acted, especially by the subtle and moving Nicole Laurenzi and TJ Thomas, playing experienced scientists who have to deal with a new arrival from earth (played by Isa Arciniegas), who meets a handsome former lover (John Drea) and has no idea what long-term challenges Solaris has in store for her.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Review: “Solaris”
When: Through March 27
Where: Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St.
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Tickets: $30-$40 at 773-338-2177 and griffintheatre.com
