By BRUCE DENNILL
Constellations / Directed by Alan Swerdlow / The Studio, Pieter Torien’s Montecasino Theatre
It takes two to tango. In any relationship, there are a string of decisions made by each partner which influence the decisions made by the other partner and, ultimately, the direction the partnership takes and where it ultimately ends up. Nick Payne’s play Constellations explores the intricate tangle of emotions and events that are the framework and fabric of the romance of Marianne (Janna Ramos-Violante) and Roland (Ashley Dowds).
It takes two to tango. In any relationship, there are a string of decisions made by each partner which influence the decisions made by the other partner and, ultimately, the direction the partnership takes and where it ultimately ends up. Nick Payne’s play Constellations looks at the way answering the same question in different ways changes the lives of lovers Marianne (Janna Ramos-Violante) and Roland (Ashley Dowds).
It takes two to tango. In any relationship, there are a string of decisions made by each partner which influence the decisions made by the other partner and, ultimately, the direction the partnership takes and where it ultimately ends up. Roland, a simple working-class man, can’t imagine that Marianne – a cosmologist, of all things – would find in his talk of bees and honey the foundation of an attraction that soon blossoms into something more.
Roland, a simple working-class man, can’t imagine that Marianne – a cosmologist, of all things – would choose to invite him into her house and life. Moving in is only the beginning of a whole new series of challenges, though. Marianne and Roland grow closer as they slowly unpack each other’s baggage, one repeated, slightly altered passage of dialogue at a time. It’s a disconcerting mechanism that takes some getting used to: in many instances, all that differs between one scene and the next is a subtle change in facial expression, posture or tone of voice, all of which help the characters communicate a new emotion or perspective.
It’s a disconcerting mechanism that takes some getting used to: in many instances, all that differs between one scene and the next is a subtle change in facial expression, posture or tone of voice, all of which help the characters communicate a new emotion or perspective. Payne, via Marianne and Roland, asks a collection of the sort of “what if?” questions that come up in every relationship, allowing the audience, via the talents of Ramos-Violante and Dowds, to experience the exquisite pain that comes with realising you’ve made the wrong decision.
It’s a disconcerting mechanism that takes some getting used to: in many instances, all that differs between one scene and the next is a subtle change in facial expression, posture or tone of voice, all of which help the characters communicate a new emotion or perspective. Ramos-Violante and Dowds have wonderful chemistry, which helps, but their individual performances stand out regardless. Ramos-Violante effortlessly morphs into Marianne, who apart from being a scientist, also develops some obscure maladies as the play progresses, and Dowds’ Roland shows a growing sensitivity that belies his unassuming exterior.
Ramos-Violante effortlessly morphs into Marianne, who apart from being a scientist, also develops some obscure maladies as the play progresses, and Dowds’ Roland shows a growing sensitivity that belies his unassuming exterior. The actors have nothing more to work with than the everyday clothes they wear and a single black garden bench as a prop. Everything else is constructed of words, cleverly interwoven and delivered with nuanced skill. This is theatre that celebrates the craft involved in both great writing and the acting ability such a tremendous text deserves.
Everything else is constructed of words, cleverly interwoven and delivered with nuanced skill. This is theatre that celebrates the craft involved in both great writing and the acting ability such a tremendous text deserves. That the production is as compact and polished as it is owe much to the sure direction of Alan Swerdlow, whose challenge is to take a script that asks actors to repeat the same words five times and to then give notes on how each of those takes could be further modified to ensure maximum impact.
That the production is as compact and polished as it is owe much to the sure direction of Alan Swerdlow, whose challenge is to take a script that asks actors to repeat the same words five times and to then give notes on how each of those takes could be further modified to ensure maximum impact.
It’s a challenge is to take a script that asks actors to repeat the same words five times and to then give notes on how each of those takes could be further modified to ensure maximum impact.
What if each of those takes could be further modified to ensure maximum impact?
This production offers maximum impact.
See it.