Booked & Scene

Utopian Hotline is not your average night at the theater—it’s a performance set under the stars, quite literally. Co-presented by ArtsEmerson and the Museum of Science, this one-of-a-kind experience unfolds inside the Charles Hayden Planetarium, transforming a space usually reserved for constellations and space documentaries into a dreamy dome of theatrical experimentation.  

Instead of the usual plush red seats and a proscenium arch, audience members recline under a planetarium sky, each of us outfitted with our own headset. Think silent disco meets speculative sci-fi storytelling. It’s an intimate, choose-your-own-sonic-adventure setup that offers full control over volume and an unexpectedly personal and individualized relationship with the performance.  

Parallel Universes: One Dome, Many Realities  

One of the most mind-bending—and frankly, coolest—surprises of Utopian Hotline was realizing halfway through that not everyone was hearing the same thing. Different audience members were receiving different narratives through their headphones, which meant you could be sitting next to someone and experiencing an entirely different thread of the story. This layering of perspectives made the whole experience feel deeply personal while still communal, like a constellation of human stories playing out in the same sky.  

Speaking of stories, the show was filled with beautifully performed musical moments. Watching the actors sing live while navigating the space—sometimes tender, sometimes almost haunting—added a new dimension to the atmosphere. One particularly striking segment focused on Stephen Hawking, featuring his real voice as he spoke about black holes and the nature of hope. His quote, “If you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up—there’s a way out,” hit me hard. It was such a poignant reminder that even in a show about galaxies and the future, sometimes the most powerful messages are still, and will always be, about resilience and human spirit.  

Multitasking in the Milky Way: The Art of Visual Juggling  

While the concept and execution are certainly stellar, there were a few moments where the ambition of the format made things a bit tricky. With four actors navigating the space—answering old-school phones, pressing play on vintage answering machines, and delivering monologues into mics—there was a lot happening on the ground.  

Add to that the ever-shifting visual projections across the planetarium dome and it quickly became a challenge to know where to focus. Should your attention stay on the human figures in motion, or drift up to the visuals spinning overhead? The balance between live presence and digital wonder wasn’t always seamless.  

And then came the ending… or did it? With no curtain call or visual cue to indicate the show had wrapped, the audience collectively hesitated—an awkward constellation of uncertain claps, confused glances, and slow seat shuffles. In a show so carefully crafted around immersion and experience, the lack of a clear final landing felt like a missed opportunity to bring us all gently back down to Earth. 

One final note: one of the actress’s voices—calm, slow, and velvety—had a distinct ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) quality that created a meditative, almost trance-like state. It was soothing to the point of sleep-inducing, which made for a disorienting experience. I found myself drifting, caught between relaxation and the need to actively stay engaged in a live performance. It seems I wasn’t the only one—there were audible snores from someone in the row behind us, a strange but oddly fitting soundtrack to a show that already felt like a dream.

Final Transmission: A Short But Stellar Trip  

Clocking in at just around 40 minutes, Utopian Hotline is a compact but ambitious work years in the making. Theater Mitu continues its mission of expanding the definition of theater through methodical experimentation—and here, they’ve succeeded in fusing science, storytelling, sound, and space in a way that feels refreshingly new.  

The opportunity to literally call in before or after the show—at 646-694-8050—and answer the question “How do you imagine a more perfect future?” is a beautiful invitation to co-create. Hearing snippets of real people’s hopes and dreams woven into the performance brought a sense of collective optimism that’s rare in any medium.  

If you’re looking for a night out that’s short, strange, and entirely unlike anything else in Boston, Utopian Hotline might just be your ticket to another world.