David Grieg makes a compelling argument for theatre as the Sci-Fi medium of choice in this fantastically gripping adaptation. Based on Stanislaw Lem's novel, Solaris is set on an isolated space station in orbit around a sentient ocean planet. Seamlessly balanced, the set, sound and lighting design work together to create a fluid yet fittingly claustrophobic atmosphere where three scientists attempt to study Solaris, before unwittingly finding themselves the test subjects of the titular planet. 

The foremost method of Solaris' experiment manifests as strange 'visitors' created out of the memories of the baffled scientists. Centrally, Kelvin (Polly Frame) is visited by the strange doppelganger of an ex-lover, the charmingly buoyant Ray (Keegan Joyce), an oceanographer from her past. But as Kelvin moves to accept Ray the lines between reality and projection blur irrevocably, leaving her believing that Solaris must be trying to reach out with tidings of love and joy. It's a testament to our need to see patterns - and not one echoed by her traumatised shipmates whose own visions have not been so joyfully welcomed. Unable to agree on Solaris' intentions and unlikely to uncover them, the resulting chasm in viewpoints from the crew and now Ray too, soon leads them all to a devastating impasse.

Clever, bittersweet, funny and philosophical - but at no point alienating (pun intended) - Greig and director Matthew Lutton have breathed new life into Lem's 1961 story, yet paid tribute to the pioneering spirit of its characters and the decade of its release. Retro without being contrived, Solaris shows the best that imagination can achieve in the theatre. Cosmic!