Photos: Main Street Theater Presents THE HARD PROBLEM

Main Street Theater (MST) opens its 44th Season with Tom Stoppard's newest play, The Hard Problem. MST and Executive Artistic Director Rebecca Greene Udden have long been the go-to source for Stoppard's plays for Houston, for Texas, and even the nation (MST's production of The Coast of Utopia trilogy drew audiences from across the U.S.). It's fitting, then, that MST would produce the Regional Premiere of Stoppard's latest work.

As with Stoppard's other works, The Hard Problem is an exquisite mix of high intellect and deep emotion. "The hard problem" is a philosophical and scientific term (coined by David Chalmers). The hard problem of consciousness is the problem of explaining why any physical state is conscious rather than not: we can explain the what and the how of consciousness, but not the why. To answer the why, we must go beyond the usual methods of science. Is this the soul? Is this God? What is it that makes us truly human? The characters in the play explore the hard problem through their work, yes, but also through their own lives, particularly that of Hilary who is mourning her own personal loss.

Opening night is Saturday, September 14 at 7:30pm, and the production runs through October 6 at MST - Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. Performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $36 - $55, depending on date, section, and availability. All tickets are on sale via phone at 713.524.6706 or online at MainStreetTheater.com.