The Antiquities, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, through March 28. 617-930-8600 or bostontheatrescene.com

Is the human race the end point of evolution? Charles Darwin probably would not have thought so. For his part, Jordan Harrison examines the possibility that human beings may become a transitional species in the future in his imaginative, if cautionary, 2025 play The Antiquities. Under Alex Lonati's smooth direction, nine talented and versatile actors take on a variety of roles, both human and digital, in a strong production of this provocative Pulitzer Prize finalist.

As the play opens, two curators invite the audience, at once Calderwood theatergoers and post-human visitors, to tour a series of exhibits numbered by year, from 1816 through 2240, in what Harrison calls the Museum of Late Human Antiquities. Exhibit 1816 serves as a frame for what follows, as Mary Shelley, her husband Percy, Lord Byron, Claire Clairmont, and physician Thomas Briggs engage in a storytelling contest that leads to Shelley's Frankenstein. From there, the audience moves through exhibits that together form an archaeological portrait of the so-called Late Human era, as interpreted by digital entities.

All nine actors move convincingly from exhibit to exhibit, portraying both famous figures and ordinary people. Allison Russo captures Mary Shelley's sense of wonder and her embrace of life's complexities. Jesse Hinson conveys Percy's chauvinistic posture, while Tobias Wilson brings elegance and playfulness to Byron. Kelsey Fonise gives Claire warmth and maternal instinct, and John Kuntz brings understated confidence to Dr. Briggs. Helen Hy-Yuen Swanson shows determination as a lawyer negotiating for an employee in Exhibit 2023. Anderson Stinson III portrays the insecurity and hope of Stuart, a lonely inventor celebrating his self-learning robot in Exhibit 1978. Catia is effective as a granddaughter explaining the internet in Exhibit 2008. Seventh grader Harry Baker is especially impressive, particularly as the thoughtful Noah in Exhibit 1987.

In her playbill note, Lonati acknowledges that the "unknown and unregulated nature of AI" may be troubling to many theatergoers. At the same time, she finds comfort in the uniqueness of humanity. Harrison's play leaves those questions open, but SpeakEasy's timely staging makes a compelling case for its relevance.