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| (http://www.constellationstheplay.com/index-constellations.php) |
During my Christmas break I went to see Nick Payne’s play Constellations at the Duke of York
Theatre in the West End. The first
thing that struck me was the atmosphere in the theatre prior to the start of
the show, with the set already visible and the ambient music playing in the
background (which reminded me of walking round earth/space Galleries in a museum) I already knew I was in for something different.
The set was brilliant, consisting of only balloons suspended
above the stage and a single raised platform.
It was so simple, contrasting with the complexity of the play. These
balloons were utilised throughout the play by marking a change in the
situation/universe by flashing accompanied with a sound not unlike a heartbeat.
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| Santacon! |
The play was brilliant, it is the most thought provoking
piece of theatre I have ever seen and it moved me to tears even after I had
left the theatre (luckily Santacon was taking place in Trafalgar Square so that
helped me stop blubbing!).
The subtle differences between scenes playing out almost the
same situation caused me to consider how much we really control our own
destiny. Perhaps the play was showing us
that fate is mapped out and subtle changes we make don’t really change this
path however I have read other reviews that suggest the differences marked
parallel universes. So perhaps a
decision we make in this universe is reversed in another universe somewhere
else? Throughout I found myself trying to figure out whether we can escape what
lies in store for us or is everything down to chance/fate? However I found I was contradicting myself
when discussing the play on the train home. An illness is diagnosed as fatal in
one scene but curable in the next – thereby disputing the idea that fate has
decided what is in store for us from the outset. Unless of course fate leads different paths
in different universes….
There is a scientific element to the play which I found
incredibly difficult to get my head around, quotes in the front of the text of
the play suggest that there is no purpose for the universe, that this is a
human invention. Things like this really
make my brain hurt, it’s the very reason I avoid programmes with Brian Cox in.
Sally Hawkins performance was fantastic; I loved her in Happy Go Lucky and was not disappointed
with her stage presence. She was funny, moving and really brought the character
to life. Rafe Spall was also brilliant,
although he didn’t shine quite as much as Sally. Their chemistry on stage was fantastic and they
kept the audience in the palm of their hands throughout.
Sorry this is a bit deeper than most of my other musings …
but I wanted to share my thoughts on this, a play which almost a month later is
still circling in my mind.
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