CONSTELLATIONS Play Review

Ayushi Shah	Host-A-Performance \| Schedule

Writer : Nick Payne Direction : Bruce Guthrie Cast : Aahana Kumra, Kunaal Roy Kapur

CONSTELLATIONS Review

As one waits for CONSTELLATIONS to begin, the first noticeable thing, are the many bulbs that gently hang above the stage - mellow metaphors if you may for the stars and our universe. The stage design and the play's Broadway tag set high expectations. One looks forward to be catapulted into infinite possibilities. After all, the premise revolves around multiverses, string theory and quantum physics - all tied together through the eyes of two lovers.

Roland (Jim Sarbh) and Marianne (Mansi Multani) meet at a barbeque. Something along the lines of a rom-com ensues between a beekeeper and a cosmologist. What follows is a series of could-be scenarios based on the idea that every choice, every decision one has ever made or equally never made, can exist in an unimaginably vast ensemble of parallel universes. The permutations and combinations of these confabs sometimes tear the two lovers apart and at other times draw them closer.

The performance can leave one dazed but a lot more in love. Both Sarbh and Multani impressively and almost instantly switch to various possible scenarios even as the words are repetitive. We watch in awe as the two performers sift through these multiverses in the blink of an eye. A particular multiverse that is as charming as it is enrapturing is when Sarbh's Roland proposes to Marianne when she is at work. His swift transitions from awkward to confident are noteworthy of his actor's ability to be seamlessly versatile. Another beautiful addition, which is part of the production's design, is the background projection of the medley of these multiple scenarios.

This romantic play in an enchanting set-up is about the possibilities that surround us. But in spite of the play's grand premise, it surrenders itself to matters of lesser consequence. The theme is mighty but its realisation is still circumscribed by our more narrow human obsessions and expectations.

Go with a dreamy head anyway. Roland and Marianne's foray into the possibilities of both life and love, conventional as they are, could perhaps lead us to explore these more vastly for ourselves.

*Ayushi Shah has a Bachelors Degree in Mass Media with a Major in Journalism. She has worked in various media and in public relations. She enjoys theatre and has acted in and directed inter-college festival plays.

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