Constellations – Jack Studio Theatre, Brockley

Writer: Nick Payne
Director: George Derry

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Emotionally Enchanting“

4 / 5

Every decision you’ve ever made shifts the trajectory of your life in a slightly different direction. If multiple universes exist, then each of those decisions is playing out simultaneously – rendering time irrelevant and making connection all the more significant.

Roland (Freddy Williams) is a beekeeper, Marianne (Costanza Pucci Di Montaltino) a quantum physicist – an unlikely pairing, but an undeniable connection between them, nonetheless. In every universe they’ve met at a friend’s barbeque, but from there, every outcome is different. Romance, infidelities, illnesses and proposals are all shown slightly differently within each universe in this emotionally enchanting narrative.

Director George Derry showcases each scene as a snapshot, showing mostly linear moments of their lives in each universe, using just simple lighting changes to signify the switch into each alternate reality. Although parallel universes normally focus on contrastingly different realities, Nick Payne’s script instead keeps the plot relatively similar – their jobs, and general life paths are mostly the same, it instead unpicks the minute differences in each world – for example, in one, Marianne’s cheating is a shock, in another Roland already knew, in a third, it was Roland cheating.

The majority of the scenes – such as the initial meeting, are repeated one after the other, before moving on to the next variation of their relationship. Performing each moment in one bulk section and showing each of the possible ‘what if’s’ helps the narrative to take hold quickly, rather than confusing the timeline further. There are occasional timeline shifts – mostly focusing on when Marianne’s illness has progressed. This is shown in pitch black, with a singular, stark spotlight, intensifying the performance, before re-releasing the audience into the more light-hearted scenarios.

Williams and Pucci Di Montaltino are a fantastic pair to execute the intricacies of the sprawling storyline threads. While the script remains mostly the same, they give each line a different intonation, amended body language or adjusted facial expressions – so although the audience are technically hearing the same thing over and over, it constantly feels fresh and interesting. The engaging duo helps you to completely root for the on-stage couple, building their chemistry quickly and making each of the iterations of their characters as intriguing as each other.

Love, loss and grief are outlined in the show description, and it’s important to note that the emotional aspects of the relationship do feature quite heavily – with a large portion of the show focusing on terminal illness, assisted dying and the fall out from both. The subject matter is approached with a wonderful sensitivity, yet realistic believability, not sugar coating any of the emotion behind it, but equally not making it so hopelessly heart-wrenching that it becomes a struggle to watch. A good balance, executed well.

A thought-provoking, endearing show that is definitely worth a watch.

Runs until 17^th May 2025
Photo Credit: Samuel Daltry