Spaceman at Urbanite Theatre

SARASOTA — On Friday, Urbanite Theatre in downtown Sarasota presented the regional debut of Leegrid Stevens' sci-fi drama Spaceman.

Spaceman picks up seven months into groundbreaking astronaut Molly Jennis' high-stakes solo mission to Mars. Terri Weagant, who wowed Urbanite audiences with her one-actor performance in Bo-Nita, once again carries the weight of a one-woman show with impressive ease.

Tom Hansen's simple yet sophisticated cockpit set creates an appropriately cozy room in which audiences get a real sense of Molly's claustrophobic experience. Although it was a bit of a chilly night, the heat inside the small black box theater seemed to be cranked up a bit to mimic her description of a stuffy capsule with poor air circulation.

Molly, whose husband was lost on a previous mission, is obdurate in her commitment to seeing this one to completion. Solar Flares, nor equipment malfunction, not even a bit of space dementia will stand between her and the red planet.

Dialog with ground control and an AI companion allows us to get deeper insights into the character while effectively disrupting the narrative. The play also manages to deeply humanize an occupation so often romanticized in popular art while making subtle social commentary about how consumerism has managed to spoil even what had once been the most dignified human pursuits.

At a drum-tight 75 minutes without an intermission, Spaceman ensures you only need the edge of your seat.

Directed by Urbanite Producing Artistic Director Summer Wallace, Spaceman runs through Feb. 16. Visit the Urbanite website for schedule and ticket information.