In our current political climate, science fiction seems a blessed relief. Deep into the Age of Bush II, dystopias like Bladerunner’s L.A. (oooh, flying cars!) and Orwell’s 1984 (cool, no spy satellites!) seem positively comforting. Maybe that’s why fringe stalwart Annex Theatre has been so interested this season in sci-fi, producing a whole year of shows focused on what might happen tomorrow (based on what is happening today). Productions have been hit-and-miss, but there’s reason to be interested in interlace [falling star] by local playwright Scotto Moore. In his newest piece (through Aug. 30), a person with no memory awakens in an infinitely tall building located in the exact center of everywhere. The catastrophe that results from this visitation is a cheerful blend of horror and humor, fueled by a heady mixture of future shock and super-heroics. Gotta say this about Annex: For a company that just reached the advanced age of 21, it’s still unafraid to tackle weird material and provocative ideas. And with Fringe luminaries like Stan Shields, Kristina Sutherland, and Jennifer Pratt in the cast, the results are likely to be interesting, at the very least. JOHN LONGENBAUGH [See review here.] Annex Theatre, 1122 E. Pike St., 728-0933, www.annextheatre.org. $5–$12. 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Aug. 30.

Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Starts: Aug. 1. Continues through Aug. 30, 2008