{"id":24169,"date":"2021-09-05T18:12:05","date_gmt":"2021-09-06T01:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=24169"},"modified":"2021-10-05T09:54:18","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T16:54:18","slug":"galatea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/galatea\/","title":{"rendered":"Galatea: a review by Victor Cordell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Sindu Singh as Dr. Margaret Mailer, Abbey Lee as Seventy-One. All photos by Jeff Thomas.<\/p><\/div>\n

Robot, replicant, android, or body snatcher \u2013 one of science-fiction\u2019s leading obsessions has long been the fear of alien or man-made \u201cbeings\u201d replacing humans.\u00a0 In playwright David Templeton\u2019s \u201cGalatea,\u201d the near future envisions an outer-space centered universe populated by organics, like you (I think) and me, as well as synthetics, the latter being created by the former to appear and behave exactly like humans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sindu Singh as Dr. Mailer, Abbey Lee as Seventy-One.<\/p><\/div>\n

This Spreckels Theatre Company production was scheduled for its world premiere last spring when the pandemic hit and delayed its opening until now.\u00a0 The wait for the delightful dramedy was well worth it.\u00a0 Rather than striking Elizabeth Bazzano and Eddy Hansen\u2019s striking set, the stage remained ready for its opening 18 months later.\u00a0 The script itself benefitted from a distinctive fate as well.\u00a0 The Glickman Award is granted to the play and playwright voted the best premiere for the year in the Bay Area.\u00a0 Past recipients include Tony Kushner, Sarah Ruhl, Marcus Gardley, Lauren Yee, and a laundry list of other respected authors.\u00a0 Though \u201cGalatea\u201d was not eligible in 2020 because the production never launched, it received an unprecedented Honorable Mention from the voting committee.<\/p>\n

The central plot concerns the only known survivor from the colony vessel Galatea, the synthetic Seventy-One, who was found in space after spending 87 years in a cryogenic evacuation vehicle. \u00a0Therapist Dr. Margaret Mailer is assigned to debrief and acclimate her to the new environment.\u00a0 The action takes place completely on a space station in Mailer\u2019s office, an eclectic mix of contemporary furnishings with Asian artifacts; tin roof sheets cleverly lit to look like columns of shiny poles; and a large Palladian window casing that she is particularly proud of.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chris Schloemp as Dr. Hughes.<\/p><\/div>\n

The cast is led by the spectacular Sindu Singh as Dr. Mailer.\u00a0 With a crisp Anglo-Indian accent, a quick wit, and a faster laugh, her occasional humorous f-bombs followed by abject apologies for her language seem out of character at first, but after all, we\u2019re not in Kansas anymore.\u00a0 Singh is absolutely confident, convincing, and compelling as she teaches Seventy-One common human behaviors like shaking hands and coordinating body with verbal language.\u00a0 All the while, she tries to plumb Seventy-One\u2019s lost memory to solve the mysteries.\u00a0 What, if anything, happened to Galatea, other than the known loss of its communication signal?\u00a0 Was Seventy-One involved in its disappearance or destruction?\u00a0 How and why did she evacuate, and was she the only one?\u00a0 What is she holding back?<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, after nearly a century in the deep freeze, Seventy-One is out of touch and out of date.\u00a0 Technology for synthetics has improved immensely, so that current models are totally human-like.\u00a0 Played to great effect by Abbey Lee, Seventy-One is virtually opposite to Dr. Mailer – austere, abrupt, and robotic in movement.\u00a0 When taught to look more humanlike, her efforts are mechanical \u2013 a strident hand shake and a square-mouth, rigid smile.\u00a0 But worse, she is overcome with anxieties.\u00a0 Although she remembers all of the technical details of the Galatea and her work on it, she resists remembering her personal past, fearful that after whatever revelations she provides, she will be destroyed by the organics.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sindu Singh as Dr. Mailer, Abbey Lee as Seventy-One, David L. Yen as EPS Unit.<\/p><\/div>\n

Apart from the comedy and mystery of \u201cGalatea,\u201d it operates as a cautionary tale.\u00a0 Earth will always survive.\u00a0 Life on earth may not, and the greatest danger to life is human hubris.\u00a0 We procreate with impunity, resulting in exponential increases in population, and devour resources at increasing per capita rates, a formula that will inevitably result in dire consequences.\u00a0 Then we use our intelligence to find solutions to the problems we created, which often have greater negative unintended consequences.\u00a0 And with regard to synthetics as a solution, one human feature that can\u2019t be replicated is the ability to reproduce organically.\u00a0 If they replace life forms, will they have the ability to design their own replacements?\u00a0 Will they even care?\u00a0 What will motivate their continued existence?\u00a0 Would we care?<\/p>\n

I should note that there is much more that is interesting to share, but I\u2019d rather not ruin the sense of discovery for readers who might attend.\u00a0 Kudos to director Marty Pistone for not giving up on this project despite the delay and to additional cast members Chris Schloemp and David L. Yen who also do fine work.\u00a0 With a total drive time during normal conditions of 2 \u00bd hours, Spreckels is usually outside my range for attending theater.\u00a0 Making an exception for \u201cGalatea\u201d paid off.\u00a0 It entertains and provokes and offers some surprises along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cGalatea\u201d is written by David Templeton, produced by Spreckels Theatre Company and plays at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park, CA through September 19, 2021.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robot, replicant, android, or body snatcher \u2013 one of science-fiction\u2019s leading obsessions has long been the fear of alien or man-made \u201cbeings\u201d replacing humans.\u00a0 In playwright David Templeton\u2019s \u201cGalatea,\u201d the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24169","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-victor-cordell"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"