CONSTELLATIONS. Written by Nick Payne. Director: Jay Pather. With Mark Elderkin and Mwenya Kabwe. Production and lighting designer: Wolf Britz. Baxter.
KAREN RUTTER reviews
The concept of parallel universes – where characters can simultaneously exist in, or interact with, different versions of themselves – has been explored on various popular culture platforms, including the award-winning film Everything Everywhere all at Once and the Apple TV series Dark Matter. On the stage, writer Nick Payne plays around with the idea in his absorbing and quick-witted theatre production Constellations. It’s a beguiling notion, and when explored through the lense of a relationship (or many versions of a relationship), the science becomes accessibly sentient.
Having a top drawer cast and director to tell the tale helps a lot, of course. And for this version of Constellations, it’s hard to imagine anybody else in these respective roles.
At the helm, director Jay Pather has drawn smooth, deeply relatable performances from his two actors. They move effortlessly between moments of intimacy, humour and heartbreak, mirroring the fluid shifts within the script itself. Pather crafts a tangible sense of rhythm and movement, and in a play that revisits key moments in different possibilities, he skilfully avoids any sense of repetition. The action is constantly alive, allowing the audience to stay invested in every new iteration of the story.
Masterful evening of satisfying theatre
The chemistry between Mark Elderkin as Roland and Mwenya Kabwe as Marianne is the beating heart of the production. They interact with remarkable ease, creating a relationship that feels entirely authentic whether they are being playful, serious, tender, funny, or deeply vulnerable. As the play moves through its many alternate versions of the same encounters, the details of their relationship may shift, but one constant remains: the electric connection between them. Their performances are finely tuned to one another, allowing every glance, hesitation and exchange to resonate with emotional truth.
Constellations is a play that asks what if? What if you said yes to a date? What if you said no to a job? What if your health was bad? Or good? What if you made the wrong choice …? Marianne and Roland are two ordinary people facing the kind of ordinary options most of us encounter. It’s in the variations on a theme that the experience becomes extraordinary.
It’s fascinating and funny and sad – and yes, all at once. Constellations provides a masterful evening of satisfying theatre. It’s the right choice …
What: Constellations at the Baxter
Where and when:
Cape Town at the Baxter Studio from 2 to 20 June 2026 | Webtickets
Johannesburg at Theatre On The Square from 23 June to 11 July 2026 | Webtickets
WS
