Constellations

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Marianne meets Roland. Marianne is an astrophysicist, and Roland keeps bees. How will it go, and come, and go? Come again? In an infinite number of universes, anything can happen. Which is good, because Marianne is running out of time. Premiered at the Royal Court in 2012, Nick Payne’s tale of love, loss and honey has played to packed houses in the West End, on Broadway, and further afield.

Constellations is a play about possibilities, about different outcomes from the same starting point, about paths taken and paths not taken. Marianne, an astrophysicist, explores the theory of the multiverse – that there are an infinite number of universes, each differing slightly or greatly from our own. The play's structure reflects this, as the audience is presented with multiple versions of the same events, varying in their outcomes. Also, events do not necessarily occur in a linear temporal sequence.

Funny, poignant and unorthodox, this celebrated contemporary play comprises over fifty, mostly very short, scenes interspersed by changes in lighting state (probably just blackout) which indicate change of ‘universe’. It offers exciting and challenging opportunities to the actors.