The Sirens of Titan
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Who could help but laugh at the postmodern Christian sect he invents in 1959’s The Sirens of Titan, the Church of God the Utterly Indifferent? And the way he pokes fun at post-World War II notions of capitalism, optimism, freedom, and the very middle-American (and Calvinist) idea that good luck reveals the hand of God? On the other hand, the ratio of dross to good material also seems much higher than I remember.
John Hildreth’s adaptation of The Sirens of Titan for Lifeline Theatre retains what’s best about the book. He remains true to the playful, insane plot, in which the eccentric Rumfoord finds himself trapped in a quasi-metaphysical phenomenon that spreads his consciousness in perpetuity through the universe. Traveling the solar system, he witnesses the alien abduction of a movie star, an invasion from Mars, and an encounter with three goddesses on Titan. However, this script is leaner than Hildreth’s previous adaptation of Vonnegut: his 2002 Cat’s Cradle for Lifeline included more of the novelist’s philosophical musings and digressions, to the play’s detriment.
no outside hand is at work in our universe and the next introducing the comical idea that much of human history is the result of aliens sending mundane messages to one another. Stonehenge, for example, is a communique to a stranded robot: “Replacement part being rushed with all possible speed.”
Price: $18-$24
