Payne shows the couple, after a chance social encounter, going through the varying rituals of co-habitation, betrayal and separation. Or, alternatively, they may go their own ways, bump into each other again at a ballroom-dancing class and achieve a possibly durable union. All this is wittily done and played, in Michael Longhurst's Theatre Upstairs production, with great skill by Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins: the scene where Spall obliquely proposes to Hawkins by dwelling on the distinctive types of bees is played in three different ways, and each time produces subtly different reactions. Prices are correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection. History boys … Jamie Parker, Russell Tovey, Samuel Anderson, Andrew Knott, Alan Bennett, Dominic Cooper, Sacha Dhawan and James Corden. Photograph: www.ronaldgrantarchive.com A major part of the pull of seeing two stagings of Constellations on the same day is the difference between each cast - in that respect, the play also subtextually dramatises the infinity of choices that govern how a play is realised on stage. Douglas and Tovey’s kinetic performances have the edge here. They share a naturally playful, even-handed chemistry that breezes adroitly through razor-sharp comic timing and the abrupt changes of scene that dramatise Payne’s stage direction in the script “an indented rule indicates a change in universe”. Tovey’s rap-inflected romantic monologue about the sex life of bees is truly something special to experience.

This is the first step on a long road for me to dwelve into the wonders of really contemporary British plays. And I'm glad I could start out with something like Constellations. I loved it. I loved the whole "what could happen in alternate universes with the same two people" theme, and I loved the dialogue. Fresh, fun, but also deep and really credible. Overall, it gets a big thumbs up from me. Where did the constellations come from? The origins of the patterns is not known for certain, though the ancient Chinese and Egyptians are known to have applied symbolic sky maps. Since different constellations are visible at different times of the year, farmers were able to use them to tell what month it was. The importance, to these early civilizations, of knowing the time of year calendar cannot be underestimated. As a result, accurate calendar prediction was an essential skill and was a central aspect of astronomy up to at least the 16th century. Views of the constellations around the world Some historians argue that many of the myths associated with the constellations were invented specifically to help farmers construct an accurate understanding of the sky. From ancient times farmers knew that for most crops, you plant in the spring and harvest in the autumn. Therefore, by ensuring the planting took place at the correct time the risk of a failed harvest was kept to a minimum, particularly in regions where the differentiation between the seasons was slight.The 2016 Studio Theatre production was nominated for 6 awards at the 2017 Helen Hayes Awards in Washington, D.C. [16] The production won 2 awards, with Tom Patterson receiving the Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play and Lily Balatincz receiving Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play. [17] [18]

A simple planisphere or star wheel can be rotated to indicate what stars and constellations are visible at any one time and place. This article was amended on 19 May 2022 because an earlier version misspelled Marc Atkinson Borrull’s first name as “Mark”.

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In November 2015, the Chinese-language premiere was directed and translated by Wang Chong in Beijing. He used 13 on stage cameras to conceptualize the play into a "stage movie" with the 50 scenes presented in 50 takes creating a very intimate cinematic experience. A real hamster was also on the stage representing the god of time and universe dictating the cuts of the "movie" and the possibilities of life. Because of the show's success, the actress Wang Xiaohuan was recognised by The Beijing News as The Young Theater Artist of the Year. [20] In 2022 the Hawaiian premiere was produced by the KOA Theater opening June 17th. The show was directed by Kevin Keaveney and starred Chris Jaymes and Eden Lee. [13]

Dependence on the sky became an essential part of many early cultures (and to agricultural cultures today). What he has instead is superstition. Since he became a full-time writer in 2010 – before that he combined writing with evening shifts as an usher at the Old Vic, and in the National Theatre bookshop – he has been on a winning streak, as evidenced by this West End transfer of Constellations. And it's brought out his nervous side. "I have to have everything on the desk in the same way to start work, all the books are alphabetised, everything's at right angles. In December 2021, the play was staged by the Owl & Nightingale Players in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, featuring Casey Creagh as Marianne and Eric Lippe as Roland. Creagh won the Capstone Award awarded by the local Gettysburg College.Suppose that life exists in a multiverse -- a set of parallel existences that contain infinitely different futures. The possibilities in our lives are, quite literally, endless. Every possible event that could happen, does happen, in one universe or another. And if two lovers meet -- are drawn together in every version of existence -- every possible happy ending and heartbreak that could befall them, will.