While our minds are hot with criticisms about the heroism of Christopher Columbus, the University of Maine production of “Terra Nova” keeps us burning with skepticism about the true glory of conquest. The play, about the Antarctic expeditions of Admiral Robert Falcon Scott, is an interesting variation on this theme of dubious greatness.

Whereas the Columbus debate focuses on the destruction of a culture, “Terra Nova” zeros in on the mental deterioration of a single man consumed by ravenous ambition. The final question, which spreads like an icecap from the center of Scott’s being, is whether fame is worth the compromise of one’s humanity.

Although the play draws heavily from Scott’s journals, it lingers more on his inner struggles than on historical details. In particular, the play exposes Scott’s envy of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, whose brute instinct for survival and blatant disrespect for English propriety sting Scott at every turn.

Unable to get past his own naive patriotism and manly pride, Scott is ultimately immobilized by his dreams. He passionately vows to reach the South Pole on foot before his Norwegian rival does so with dog teams, but time is of the essence, and the days of heroic exploration end when Amundsen stabs his flag into the bottom of the earth a month before Scott arrives there.

After traversing 800 miles in devastating temperatures, Scott and his remaining team shrink with defeat, and the severe disappointment further melts Scott’s already dissolving confidence. Seven of his men have turned back, two have died, supplies are waning, and minds are slipping. The coldness and quiet fortitude that must have filled Scott’s soul when he, and two other explorers, froze to death 11 miles from the safety depot, gives him a tragic place in human history.

In a highly stylized production that relies more on melodrama than on authenticity, director Norman Wilkinson delivers an often intriguing evening of surreal theater. Wayne Merritt’s shadowy lighting and stark, many-leveled set suggest the nightmarish distortion of Scott’s subconscious. Slides of photos from the original expedition are projected upon the backdrop of a white cloth that spills from the ceiling like the southern lights across a dark night.

The cast follows suit by delivering lines with theatrical bigness, and by frequently staring over the heads of the audience as if all the answers to life were somehow waiting at the back of the theater. Yet the group manages to create a moody atmosphere, weird like the interiors of Scott’s mind and wild like the exteriors of his travels.

Brian Page plays Scott intensely, with much angst and facial expression (a necessity when one’s entire body — except for the face — is covered in Antarctic gear). Newton M. Dubs, as Amundsen and a few smaller roles, captures the raw arrogance of the victor.

David Tibbits as team-member Bowers is a bit Falstaffian in his joviality and is nearly always entertaining. As co-explorer Oates, Richmond Brown is a looming, deep-voiced presence, and as the gangrene-infected Evans, John Geoffrion deteriorates with believability.

Heather Findlay plays Kathleen, Scott’s wife and the only female character in the play. Findlay is statuesque and Edwardian in her demeanor, but the role is not very interesting and playwright Ted Tally might have done well to leave Mrs. Scott out altogether.

“Terra Nova” will be performed 8 p.m. Oct. 26 and 2 p.m. Oct. 27 at Hauck Auditorium, University of Maine. For tickets, call 581-1755.