CRITIC'S PICK
Know Theatre’s current production is about absentee voting. In space.
The year is 2088 and the Operator of a Beacon — a sort of lighthouse-slash-air-traffic-controller for warping spaceships — finds herself stranded and alone following the mysterious explosion of a U.S. Space Force airship. Her only companionship comes in the form of her ship’s A.I. Alone, that is, until a persistent and unyieldingly positive campaign canvasser calls her ship, desperate to convince the Operator of the importance of her absentee vote.
That’s right, even on a spaceship in the year 2088, playwright Julia Doolittle knows we won’t be free of political canvassers during an election year.
What follows is a hilarious, emotional and surprisingly poignant look at democracy and the power of relationships that drives a person’s choices, both politically and personally.
Director Kate Bergstrom and Jordan Trovillion, as the Operator, have created such a genuine, charming, lovable protagonist for this story. The script trusts the actor who plays this role to drive the story in unspoken moments — or via thoughts spoken only to an A.I. unit or even just into the void. Without an exceptionally strong lead at the helm, the entire production would fall apart.
It’s so delightful to watch Trovillion scatter futuristic beer containers across her living space and attempt new and astounding contortionist acts, or any other solo activity she can think of to stave off boredom during her unending tenure in space. It’s real, relatable and heartbreaking all at once.
That makes Trovillion’s interactions with her co-stars even better. There is incredible chemistry between Trovillion and A.J. Baldwin — the actor who plays the A.I. unit, Beacon — that feels like excellent fodder for a spin-off of The Odd Couple set in space.
It should be noted as well that Baldwin makes exceptional choices when it comes to her character’s physicality. Jerky, robotic movements and a monotonous automated voice make this quirky, futuristic character pop.
And Nathan Tubbs, who plays the relentless political canvasser, Glenn, is contagiously positive and just plain sweet. He brings life to the perfect optimistic foil to the Operator’s angst and feigned apathy.
The set looks spectacularly like the product of a fateful collision between a laser tag course and an episode of Star Trek. (The Original Series from the ’60s. And yes, it matters.) In the center of the stage sits a gaming chair, repurposed and transformed into a captain’s chair that also handily functions as a bed.
Though mostly gray and utilitarian, Andrew Hungerford, scenic and lighting designer, utilizes light to add splashes of color to the set that helps create a more rounded atmosphere, as well as aids in tonal changes as the production’s action shifts.
Hungerford also employs ingenious lighting tactics that create a delightful cosmic atmosphere. Old CRT televisions (the ones that still have backs) display information that work seamlessly with the script and emit an eerie glow in times of darkness. Several walls are punctured with specks of light that mimic stars, functioning as windows into the infinite cosmos that surround the stranded hero.
The Absentee is the kind of play that has a perfect home in a theater like Know. A blend of experimental sci-fi and social commentary, Know provides ample opportunities to dive into the material at hand.
It’s in those small windows into what the future may hold that Doolittle’s work shines. The Absentee, running at 80 minutes with no intermission, creates a universe that cleverly integrates the familiar technology of today with extraordinary imagination of how that tech could expand beyond our experiences on Earth. But instead of honing in on the new technology or expanded fantasy universe, Doolittle focuses on the deeply human aspects of relationships. She examines how technology augments the human experience rather than eclipsing it. This is the key to what makes the work so prescient and touching, even as it is set entirely in space. The issues relevant to us today are very much the same that are relevant to the characters in the show.
Know Theatre’s The Absentee runs through Oct. 5. More info/tickets: knowtheatre.com.
