The Melbourne Review

Constellations

February 2013

Take a boy-meets-girl love story and throw in quantum physics theory and what you get is the Australian premiere of Nick Payne’s critically-acclaimed, award-winning production Constellations.

Starring Alison Bell and Leon Ford, it’s a tale that will appeal to fans of films in the style of Sliding Doors and Sunshine of the Spotless Mind just as much as science and philosophy enthusiasts, according to director Leticia Caceres.

“At its core, it looks at the probability of an event like this happening at all,” she says. “Nick [Payne] takes the theory of quantum mechanics – which is about probabilities – and explores it in the context of a relationship, like what could have happened when there is an infinite number of possibilities. At the same time, every single event that is possible can happen simultaneously. The one choice that you choose forks out a whole new universe each time but that doesn’t necessarily cancel out all of the other possibilities, they still continue in some ways.”

In a nutshell, Constellations questions notions of love and the meaning of life – it puts a magnifying glass on where human beings sit in the big, vast cosmos. For Caceres, the story is one very close to her own circumstances.

“It resonates with me on so many levels!” she laughs. “I met my husband through a car accident in Argentina where I’m from originally, and as a result of that – the two people who had the accident both knew us – we started a relationship and we are now married. It took over 16 years for that to occur but we now have a daughter and we live in Melbourne. I personally understand that chance plays such a huge role in our life and the way it turns out. In many ways, that’s what makes me extra excited about taking on this project, I know exactly where Nick is coming from, which makes it more enjoyable to get involved and bring his story to life.”

Payne’s tendency to present his pieces in a very personal voice and his knack for encapsulating the complexities of human beings is what makes his subject matter so interesting, according to Caceres. People are, quite simply, able to effortlessly engage with, and relate to, his characters.

“He’s actually really young but he’s written quite a few pieces about heavier topics like climate change and he’s explored some massive ideas. I love that he takes these subjects and presents them in a very personal voice so that anyone can understand what he’s trying to say. I like that he doesn’t bang you over the head with it. He is a very exciting voice in writing. His characters are so adorably ordinary that they feel like old friends. For example, [the character] Marianne is a physicist whose head is caught up in the quantum realm and the big bang and the history of our universe, while Roland is a beekeeper whose head is in honey and microcosms and these tiny communities that live and work together. You bring these two completely different, mad beings together and you’re bound to get some foot-in-mouth moments and silly things.”

Caceres says she is “absolutely honoured” to be able to introduce Payne’s Constellations to Melbourne audiences who are sure to be deeply moved by the very poetic, yet straight-forward and contemporary story.

“It’s a really beautiful piece of writing and it covers such a broad scope of ideas and themes,” she says. “I just feel we’ve been so blessed with the opportunity to bring it to Melbourne audiences that it would be such a shame to miss it. Who knows when we’ll have another chance to put on a special little piece like this again?”

Constellations shows at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio, until March 23.

mtc.com.au

artscentremelbourne.com.au

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