Post by duncan on Oct 4, 2019 9:59:57 GMT
Solaris
Within hours of arriving on a space station in orbit around the moon Solaris, psychologist Kris is troubled by the evasive habits of her fellow scientists who each seem haunted by ghosts. It’s not long before she herself is confronted by the spectre of an old love.
At first these interactions are unnerving but soon they become addictive. Are these apparitions real or is the planet conjuring them to communicate with the spaceship’s crew? Soon the team’s research mission becomes derailed into psychological odysseys of their own.
And before we begin, I've never read the book or seen either of the film versions and the above synopsis comes from the website.
I had so many issues with this one I don't know where to begin it just didn't hang together for me at all.
Lets begin with "Kris is troubled by the evasive habits...." but that's not what we see on screen - she has turned up on a space station to be told that the leader of the station has killed himself and despite the person relaying this news acting in a frankly bizarre and odd way that should raise the red flag for anyone never mind a psychologist she instead goes to bed for the night. EVEN AFTER BEING WARNED THAT THE REMAINING MEMBER OF THE CREW SHE HASNT MET IS AGGRESIVE!!
Its plot for plots sake rather than actual real characterisation, especially as we discover at the end of the play that Kris is actually the leader of the expedition and can command the crew. Why on earth isn't she taking control from the start? Why isn't she asking why Snow is behaving so oddly around her? Why isn't she looking for answers when any competent leader would be?
Well the answer is so she can experience her "visitor" as a dramatic plot point rather than have it explained to her, its clunky and its not the only time this will happen.
Ten minutes or so into Act 2 we get a plot point that will drive the rest of the show -
Its clear that the visitors are people that are
So the plot is clunky but it maybe could be saved by some top notch acting - alas the acting is variable. Hugo Weaving is by far the best thing in it and he's only here on a video screen for about 5 minutes in total.
I didn't for one minute believe in Polly Frame as Kris or Keegan Joyce as visitor Ray, their performances lacked that something for me that makes characters come alive. Just too daytime soap style to make the characters and situation believable. Jade Ogugua as the wary Dr Sartorius is the best of those that are on stage in a performance that has layers.
The direction didn't work for me, the set is mainly white, with colour coming from Solaris, to highlight the sterility of their lives on the space station and to hammer home why the visitors may then be a great comfort to people alone in the universe but the show does one of my pet peeves which is the continual use of the curtain to hide scene changes.
Everything is on the one set - with items such as a bed, work unit, doors, chairs etc coming in through the set or being part of the back of the set (and then covered over when not in use or retreating back behind the wall when not on) and the continual up and down, up and down kills the dynamic for me. Its start stop and it becomes especially annoying when towards the end we move away from this for a while and the bed comes out of the wall during a scene etc.
Its a psychological drama without the drama or any real interest. Exceptionally disappointing after the same directors wonderful Picnic at Hanging Rock. Maybe the longer run time of the original film allows the plot and characters to breathe but here its a supposed professional acting in a terrible amateurish way for no other reason than plot contrivance.
On the plus side its short, 1hr 50 excluding interval, and I got an upgrade owing to sluggish sales.
Within hours of arriving on a space station in orbit around the moon Solaris, psychologist Kris is troubled by the evasive habits of her fellow scientists who each seem haunted by ghosts. It’s not long before she herself is confronted by the spectre of an old love.
At first these interactions are unnerving but soon they become addictive. Are these apparitions real or is the planet conjuring them to communicate with the spaceship’s crew? Soon the team’s research mission becomes derailed into psychological odysseys of their own.
And before we begin, I've never read the book or seen either of the film versions and the above synopsis comes from the website.
I had so many issues with this one I don't know where to begin it just didn't hang together for me at all.
Lets begin with "Kris is troubled by the evasive habits...." but that's not what we see on screen - she has turned up on a space station to be told that the leader of the station has killed himself and despite the person relaying this news acting in a frankly bizarre and odd way that should raise the red flag for anyone never mind a psychologist she instead goes to bed for the night. EVEN AFTER BEING WARNED THAT THE REMAINING MEMBER OF THE CREW SHE HASNT MET IS AGGRESIVE!!
Its plot for plots sake rather than actual real characterisation, especially as we discover at the end of the play that Kris is actually the leader of the expedition and can command the crew. Why on earth isn't she taking control from the start? Why isn't she asking why Snow is behaving so oddly around her? Why isn't she looking for answers when any competent leader would be?
Well the answer is so she can experience her "visitor" as a dramatic plot point rather than have it explained to her, its clunky and its not the only time this will happen.
Ten minutes or so into Act 2 we get a plot point that will drive the rest of the show -
her "visitor" discovers he isn't real but is a construct of the planet BUT this is done in such a hamfisted way. A video plays for no apparent reason to explain this information to him, but he isnt investigating equipment or reading. He's just catching a ball by himself when suddenly the video comes on, again its a plot step for plot purposes. Why does the video play right then? Why is it EXACTLY the piece of information that will most impact him?
A quick change here could have him finding this out by himself instead of the contrivance we have.Its clear that the visitors are people that are
dead
but it takes about 90 minutes for someone to say this and then its as if its a major revelation. Its not, its been spelt out clearly earlier on The only thrilling plot point being when Weaving reveals his visitor
.So the plot is clunky but it maybe could be saved by some top notch acting - alas the acting is variable. Hugo Weaving is by far the best thing in it and he's only here on a video screen for about 5 minutes in total.
I didn't for one minute believe in Polly Frame as Kris or Keegan Joyce as visitor Ray, their performances lacked that something for me that makes characters come alive. Just too daytime soap style to make the characters and situation believable. Jade Ogugua as the wary Dr Sartorius is the best of those that are on stage in a performance that has layers.
The direction didn't work for me, the set is mainly white, with colour coming from Solaris, to highlight the sterility of their lives on the space station and to hammer home why the visitors may then be a great comfort to people alone in the universe but the show does one of my pet peeves which is the continual use of the curtain to hide scene changes.
Everything is on the one set - with items such as a bed, work unit, doors, chairs etc coming in through the set or being part of the back of the set (and then covered over when not in use or retreating back behind the wall when not on) and the continual up and down, up and down kills the dynamic for me. Its start stop and it becomes especially annoying when towards the end we move away from this for a while and the bed comes out of the wall during a scene etc.
Its a psychological drama without the drama or any real interest. Exceptionally disappointing after the same directors wonderful Picnic at Hanging Rock. Maybe the longer run time of the original film allows the plot and characters to breathe but here its a supposed professional acting in a terrible amateurish way for no other reason than plot contrivance.
On the plus side its short, 1hr 50 excluding interval, and I got an upgrade owing to sluggish sales.
