I remember when Nick Payne’s Constellations premiered at the Royal Court in 2012 starring Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall followed swiftly by its Broadway transfer starring Ruth Wilson and Jake Gyllenhaal. I wasn’t able to nab tickets back in 2012 so I was thrilled to get tickets to it’s revival at the Vaudeville Theatre with Michael Longhurst still at the helm.
Constellations is a brilliant two-hander and the summer’s revival has a twist: the main couple will be played by four different sets of actors, each bringing something different to the story. We have Sheila Atim and Ivanno Jeremiah (18 June – 1 August); Peter Capaldi and Zoë Wanamaker (23 June – 24 July); Omari Douglas and Russell Tovey (30 July – 11 September); and Anna Maxwell Martin and Chris O’Dowd (6 August – 12 September). You can no longer see the first two couples but you have time to see the last two.
I was fortunate enough to see Russell Tovey and Omari Douglas. In this same-sex pairing, Marianne has been re-named as Manuel and the lines have been adjusted to suit. Tovey and Douglas had fantastic chemistry; very natural and playful. Some of the lines written for Marianne did not ring quite as naturally when converted to the male voice. There was one particular moment that didn’t quite make sense plot-wise because of it.
However, it was still charged and interesting. Tovey alternates between awkward, laddish, and charming in the different timelines whilst Douglas is warm and engaging throughout. The beginning exchanges seemed more sexually charged than comedic and I felt that I was slightly missing that contrast when we get to the later heartfelt scenes.
The movement is slick and the transitions between sometimes incredibly brief scenes were seamless. In one universe, Emmanuel and Roland are deaf, and in Douglas and Tovey’s version, they communicate in a queer version of British Sign Language known as GSV (Gay Sign Variant) – the first time it has been performed on stage. It was one of the most beautiful and moving scenes in the show.
Special mention needs to address Tom Scutt’s incredible set. It was breathtakingly beautiful. As an audience member, your heart is in your mouth when the balloons light up and fire as synapses as Manuel/Marianne’s brain is firing and reaching for words.
I left the theatre feeling thoroughly satisfied and intrigued to see how Chris O’Dowd and Anna Maxwell Martin’s pairing would compare.
Tickets start at £20. Run time is 75 minutes with no interval. You can book tickets here.
Photo by Mark Brenner 
Photo by Mark Brenner
Have you ever seen Constellations?
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