Constellations, by Nick Payne and being staged by Duncan’s Mercury Players, is a love story told over multiple realities.
A beekeeper and a theoretical physicist meet at a party. In that single moment, an unfathomable multitude of possibilities unfolds. Their chance meeting might blossom into a meaningful relationship or a brief affair, or it might lead to nothing at all.
Each step along these possible paths offers a new series of potential outcomes: a marriage could exist alongside a breakup, and a tragic illness could exist on a parallel plane to a long life together. Constellations also shows us that the way we choose to react to what fate brings vastly changes the reality we experience.
It is a beautiful and complicated script that will likely leave audiences wondering at first. A bit like a murder mystery without a murder, the audience will find clues as the play progresses.
Due to the small cast and the multiverse angle, we’ve cast two couples. We’ve kept rehearsals entirely separate, so each couple can develop their characters without the influence of the other. It’s been thrilling to see how each cast interprets things, and each show will be a very different experience.
This is a fast paced, sharply written romp through many universal human conditions and challenges. Audience members would do well to bring an extra pair of socks in case theirs get knocked off.
