[yasr_overall_rating]
Who hasn’t wondered about the roads not taken and where they might have led us? Playwright Nick Payne has used advanced physics as a metaphor for life. The result is a brain-teasing 90-minute one act play that weaves a delicate gossamer web of “what ifs” in, through and around its audience.
It is impossible to give a linear account of the plot since there isn’t one. The only fixed point is that there are two characters: Roland (Alex Organ) and Marianne (Allison Pistorious) whose lives constantly intersect. It is also fair to say that regardless of how many combinations of life choices we see the pair make, Roland is always a professional bee keeper and Marianne works in a university department processing data on quantum multiverse theory. The basis of her work, as she helpfully explains is that “every choice, every decision you’ve ever and never made exists in an unimaginably vast ensemble of parallel universes.”
The poet Robert Frost said it in a single memorable line: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/And sorry I could not travel both.” In “Constellations,” we get a chance to see what the one other road might have led our characters lives to be, but also countless playing and replaying of nearly similar scenes where key choices make all the difference in the outcomes of situations.
“Constellations” accomplishes sending destined lovers Roland and Marianne spinning through space, with considerable grace and thought. There’s some cosmological science behind the premise of co-existing universes, but nothing you need master to enjoy the show.
On human terms, the infinite possibilities of unlimited choice presents themselves in the amusing opening scene, which has Roland, an earthbound beekeeper, and Marianne, a flighty quantum physicist, meet at a barbecue. But before this affair can get off the ground, the scribe re-runs the same scene to show us all the variables involved in any start-up relationship. In one version, Roland is already in a serious relationship. In another version, Marianne is in recovery from a bad relationship of her own. In other variations, Roland is married. Or Marianne is.
Each time the scene backs up for a replay, Roland and Marianne are actually transported to an alternate universe and given another chance. Under Wendy Dann’s skilled and visionary direction, these hops through space and time are accomplished without elaborate set changes. The work of lighting and scene designer Steve Teneyck transports us with a dimming and brightening of lights, the shadow of a window changing direction on the floor and a subtle shifting of light colors. Hung above the stage are masses of silver balloons (and balloon-like lights) suggesting individual planets suspended in an endless universe.
That’s all it takes for drama — that, and some killer acting.
It is inevitable that regional theaters will pounce on this low-maintenance, audience-pleasing show. Single set, two characters, no scenery to speak of — the economics of it are positively irresistible. But anything less than killer acting would be lethal for any future productions, and exactly how many Alex Organ and Allison Pistoriouses are there out there? Both actors have taken their craft to an exalted level.
Organ has the charm and good looks of a leading man, but he’s also got the acting chops of a chameleon character actor. Here he gets to play someone whose character changes from minute to minute, and he’s pretty amazing. So is Pistorious, who is best known in the Dallas theater scene for her brilliant Shakespearean work. Her style as the brilliant, desperately needy Marianne, is enchanting.
With this oddball show safe in the hands of these brilliant actors, Roland and Marianne eventually connect and their affair finally gets off the ground — sort of. Marianne invites Roland to her place after their first date. And then she doesn’t. Roland behaves like a jerk in one scenario and she throws him out, but he’s a sweetheart in another variation on the same scene, which draws them into a more intimate relationship.
And so it goes throughout the play, as they explore one or another of their infinite universes. Marianne cheats on Roland in one universe, and he cheats on her in another. He proposes and she accepts. He proposes and she turns him down. They break up and he marries someone else. They break up and she gets engaged. They break up and get back together.
The important point here is that the devilishly clever scribe is not playing games with either his characters or his audience, because with each iteration, Roland and Marianne grow closer to one another — and become more important to us. And by the end of the play (has it really been 90 minutes?), we’re fully invested in their lives. All of them.
The show’s complex concepts and strong language lead me to caution parents from taking children any younger than junior high age. The Wyly is using its intimate black box studio theater and staging “Constellations” in the round. No late seating or re-entry is accommodated for this 90 minute spark of brilliance.
“Constellations” is running through October 9th. Tickets can be purchased online or at through The Dallas Theater Center’s box office.
I was fortunate to accompany my wife to this performance. Folks, let me tell you, if you want to see a show designed for actors, this is it. If you are truly a student of the craft, please go see this show. The performances are brilliant, the direction is exquisite in its simplicity and the set (what there is of it) is truly inspired.