Yale Daily News

“Space Oddity,” written by Hollis Long ’24, explores the complexities of love and human relationships.

The play follows Andromeda — played by Abigail Murphy ’27 — who decides to embark on an expedition to an unknown planet after getting into a relationship-ending argument with her fiance. A crash landing on a planet called Aurelia leaves her stranded with nothing but the clothes on her back and a radio that plays exclusively David Bowie music. However, an encounter with an alien life form forces her to rationalize the extent to which she is responsible for her own problems. 

“[The play is] a compelling drama that just happens to take place on an alien planet,” producer Ashley Duraiswamy ’24 said. 

This is the first play Long has written. Though she is pursuing a concentration in Creative Writing this play is a passion project for Long and not a senior requirement. 

Long was inspired to write this play during one of her shifts at Sterling Memorial Library.

“I was listening to David Bowie in Sterling and I was like, ‘What if lesbians in space were also listening to David Bowie?’” said Long.

The show explores themes of commitment, inadequacy and rejection. Though the themes are entrenched in reality, the setting of a pink alien planet makes the intensity more palatable and nuanced. 

As Andromeda — ‘Andy’ for short — becomes friends with an alien she calls Ziggy, she promises to teach her the gradient of human emotion. 

“[Ziggy’s] relationship with Andy is about getting in touch with this new side of herself,” said Madeleine Loewen ’25, who plays Ziggy. “[But] a central theme [of the show] is making promises, and then breaking them and what that does to a relationship.”

Long wrote this show intending to craft a world where queer relationships are normalized. The identities of the characters as queer are simply part of who they are, not a dramatized plot point, Long explained.

Aided by technicolor lights, silver mini skirts, campy makeup and starry projections, this galactic drama will have viewers examining their own relationships, and be reminded of the responsibility they have to maintain them.

The show will play April 18-20 in the Saybrook Underbrook.