Review: Lock up your phone and take a sci-fi trip with ‘Spaceman’

The last time an American astronaut embarked on a solo mission into space was in 1963, when Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. orbited Earth 22 times. Things got dicey toward the end of his 34-hour flight, as equipment malfunctions caused rising cabin temperatures and carbon dioxide levels before Cooper safely completed a manual landing in the Pacific Ocean.

Iowa native Molly Jennis, the modern protagonist of Leegrid Stevens’ 2012 sci-fi drama “Spaceman,” now making its Chicago premiere with the for-profit theater company that stylizes its name as [producingbody], faces similar challenges in the seventh month of her flight to Mars. Hers is likewise a solitary journey, for reasons not explained beyond allusions to tight purse strings in this space colonization project, which is a collaboration between multiple agencies, governments and an unnamed private funder. Scheduled to reach the Red Planet in just a few more weeks, Molly (Ashley Neal) struggles with carbon dioxide-induced headaches and nausea, a smelly spacesuit and a dangerously overheated control panel.

Directed by Eric Slater, this production captures the many contradictions of space travel: the psychological isolation and bodily risk versus the thrill of charting new territory for humanity, the frustrations of bureaucracy versus the euphoria of flying among the asteroids. Molly’s experience is further complicated by the fact that her wife and fellow astronaut, Ari, died on a previous mission. It’s unclear whether she’s motivated more by running from her grief or running toward something, or someone, else.

A small but mighty production team creates an uncanny mood from the moment audience members enter the Edge Off-Broadway’s black-box venue. “Spaceman” is a phoneless show — not in the sense that a recorded voice politely asks you to turn it off, but rather that attendees are required to lock their phones in a Yondr pouch the entire time they’re in the theater. Without glowing screens, the darkness of the house envelops you even before the performance begins.

Taylor Dalton, who co-founded the company in 2021 and coproduces “Spaceman” with Amy Carpenter, also designs the set, costumes and props. Neal spends almost the full runtime in a swiveling seat on a high platform, hemmed in by computer equipment and spotlit in a focused area that emphasizes the claustrophobic conditions (lighting design by Garrett Bell). The astronaut’s only companionship comes from occasional dispatches from Earth (performed by over a dozen voiceover actors with sound design by Angela Joy Baldasare), an AI “Mission Control Buddy” (voiced by Sadieh Rifai) and a potted plant she affectionately calls Sip. A second onstage actor, Allie Torres, puppeteers Sip and other props to evoke a gravity-free environment.

Molly’s dialogue meanders between mindless chattering and singing to herself, musing on the mythological origins of asteroid names, recalling bittersweet memories of her wife and reflecting on faith, science and the afterlife. Comic relief comes in her exasperated answers to media questions from back home — turns out that space isn’t far enough to escape the culture wars — and in her entertaining video call with a classroom of young kids. Whenever Molly’s on camera, she attaches the relevant sponsorship patch to the top of her radiation protection vest, which is covered in corporate logos such as Amazon and BP. She even tunes into a space-themed edition of “Survivor” to give feedback on the reality-show contestants. As mission control reminds her, future funding for Mars exploration depends on maintaining good TV ratings for coverage of her own mission. In other words, don’t bore the viewers.

This juxtaposition of the transactional with the transcendent is one of the greatest strengths of Stevens’ script and this production. “Spaceman” isn’t groundbreaking in its treatment of the themes of isolation and grief, but its commentary on humans reaching for our highest potential while bumping up against the absurdities of contemporary society rings true. The physical environment that [producingbody] has artfully crafted is an added bonus — and honestly, it’s relaxing not to wonder whether a fellow patron’s phone will start ringing at the quietest moment of the show.

Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.

Review: “Spaceman” (3 stars)

When: Through June 13

Where: [producingbody] at the Edge Off-Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave.

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Tickets: $15-$45 at producingbody.com