What I liked
Space-date 100+ years from now: a woman astronaut who signed up for a decidedly “solo” mission to one of the Earth’s nearest, possibly habitable exo-planets, is jarred from long hibernation by her ship’s smart-ass, femme-voiced computer system.
Thus starts the pointedly droll, half-hour adventure of Commander Jane Weigh (yep, for all you “Star Trek: Voyager” fans) in Writer/Director Scottie-Jeannette Madden’s Hollywood Fringe Festival play “Solo” at the Actor’s Company.
“Solo” is full of wit and sociological savvy, while pulling off a delightful stage-effect [SPOILER ALERT] recalling of one of the late 1950’s, iconic bits of onscreen, science-fiction camp (from “The Brain That Would Not Die,” but here quite artfully twisting “Jan-in-the-pan” into a “man-in-the-pan”), as well as the far-more-chilling Ash, from the original “Alien” film. [END OF SPOILERS]
Madden’s short play is simultaneously rife with poignancy, portraying the plight of smart, accomplished, sensual women in a culture that not only objectifies all women, but irrationally demands loyalty, even “love” for our subjugated status. Callous manipulation, cruel mind-f*ckery, dehumanizing attempts at seduction: some of the ugliest tropes of modern, cis/het/male dominance are dramatized — and mocked — with Madden admittedly having lifted much of “Roger from Oversight’s” most demeaning dialogue from words aimed directly at her, in her own, IRL queer-experience.
If you’re seeking a taste of life-affirming gender-wisdom in times of chaos and despair, this terse SF-comedy is an awesome launch-pad: from the depths of the human heart, almost-all-the-way to Proxima Centauri b.
On-stage performers Juliana Joel and Anthony Notarile are glammy and game, the plot-advancing video-clips are inviting and world-expanding, and while the set had a little dysfunction in the show I saw, everyone handled the minor mishap with grace and ease.
Extra kudos for the Commander’s peek-a-boo, midnight-blue unitard, which enhances Jane’s appeal without diminishing any of her intellectual prowess or sardonic edge. Two additional, aptly geek comps: Emma Peel’s catsuit from “The Avengers” (that’s the 1960’s, British spy/fantasy series starring Diana Rigg, not the gang from Marvel) and any of William Ware Theiss’s magnificent, “Is that vital bit of cloth gonna fall off?” costume designs from Classic “Star Trek.”
What I didn't like
A half-hour isn’t nearly long enough to do more than take a “dip” into these intriguing characters and their ripe situation. Ms. Madden has plenty more to say, and I’m looking forward to all of it!
My overall impression
“Humankind: Be Both”
