Theater Mitu; Utopian Hotline.

Presented by ArtsEmerson & Museum of Science
Conceived and developed by Theater Mitu
Produced in association with Octopus Theatricals
In partnership with SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative, and Brooklyn Independent Middle School
Directed by Ruben Polendo
Featuring Kayla Asbell, Denis Butkus, Michael Littig, Monica Sanborn

May 01, 2025 – May 18, 2025
Museum of Science, Planetarium
1 Museum of Science Driveway, Boston, MA 02114

Review by Maegan Bergeron-Clearwood

BOSTON — Theater Mitu squeezes a myriad of existential questions into its 45-minute Boston planetarium experience, Utopian Hotline: Is utopia possible? Do we exist alongside an infinite number of parallel universes? Is there life beyond our tiny speck of a planet? Is time linear, a social construct, or flat circle? What is the point of love and art when our lives are so cosmically insignificant?

Theater Mitu never fully grapples with any of these questions. Instead, it gently poses them, invites the audience to meditate on our internal responses, and lets them drift away into the ephemerality of human memory.

This experience parallels the NASA Voyager mission that inspired the piece. In 1977, scientists launched a golden record into space, offering a sonic glimpse into the human experience for whomever might discover them. There is no surety of these messages being heard again, but the act of creating them is an exercise in hope for our little green planet.

The Museum of Science Planetarium is the perfect space for this type of heady, contemplative spectator experience. Live and recorded sounds are delivered via individual headphones. Four performers guide the audience through a series of songs, stories, and scientific inquiries, but the focus never stays on them for long. Instead, the audience’s gaze is directed up toward the Planetarium ceiling, where images of both human and interstellar existence are projected.

The dramaturgical heartbeat of this piece is the collection of voice messages from the titular hotline, all responding to the same question: “How would you envision a more perfect future?” (you can leave your own message by calling 646-694-8050). It is a materially urgent question in this existential political moment, when we need to invoke actionable visions for a liberatory future more than ever.

Frustratingly, this central theme is lost in the fog of Utopian Hotline’s existential, abstract meanderings. The segments on temporal theory and black holes, for instance, are fascinating, but incohesive. The piece needs stronger connective tissue to bring its many thematic elements into conversation with each other.

At moments, I questioned why this experience needed to be live, given how infrequently the performers were given visual focus and how isolated I felt from the rest of the audience due to the use of individual headsets. Although we were invited to contemplate our temporal and spatial togetherness, I never felt connected to the people sitting around me. The result was an experience that was not-quite-theatre but not-quite-art-installation. I know that Theater Mitu enjoys pushing these types of definitional boundaries, but I found myself craving more communal experientiality.

Although Utopian Hotline is thematically diffused, it is a masterful experiment in multimedia, immersive storytelling. From my comfortable recliner, the production appeared seamless, which is remarkable given the number of moving parts that were happening in tandem. In one moment, the performers might be singing in harmony while being live-projected onto the ceiling. In another, they might be leading the audience through an interactive thought experiment as stunning projections of the cosmos drift over our heads.

Utopian Hotline is a feat of theatrical engineering and a thought-provoking delve into existential imaginings. More than anything, it is utterly unique.

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