The phrase “best young
playwright” is thrown around almost carelessly nowadays; however, Nick Payne
arguably seizes the title with no intentions of letting go through his 2012
play Constellations. After an initial opening at the Royal Court, before transferring
both to the West End and Broadway, Payne’s masterpiece embarked on its first
ever UK tour, which I was lucky enough to witness at the Cambridge Arts
Theatre.
Tom Scutt’s designs were
simplistic but effective. The ever-present pulsing of the chromospheres
resonated with Payne’s depiction of the existence of multiverses, alongside the
intelligent compositions of Simon Slater and David McSeveney’s sound design.
Michael Longhurst’s direction was succinct and sublime, and his collaboration
with Lucy Cullingford’s, who focused on movement, ensured that each parallel
scene was distinct enough to create a complete different emotional response
from the audience, yet demonstrate the essence of Payne’s play.
Joe Armstrong, who has
appeared in Flare Path in the West End and The Bill, gave a solid performance
as Roland possessing perfect comic timing and demonstrating a strong
juxtaposition from scene to scene. His obvious on stage chemistry with Doctor
Who’s Louise Brealey shone throughout. Brealey’s physicality was strong and
energetic throughout, and her variety of character was superb. Often in plays
which use only a cast of two it can seem bare on such a vast stage as in
Constellations, but Armstrong and Brealey raced through the 80 minute script.
Constellations was a hit
when it was released, and this reincarnation is no different. The original
artistic team were reunited, and the success of Constellations is evident
through their jobs between the two stints. Longhurst directed the extraordinary
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore at the Sam Wannamaker Playhouse and Carmen Disruption
at the Almeida, whilst Tom Scutt was responsible for design for King Charles
III which transferred from the Almeida to the Wyndham’s after a successful run
there. For what is really a simplistic production, it is remarkable how well
the creatives have brought to life Payne’s superb script.
