The Nick Payne science romance (we’ll explain) Constellations is back in the West End this summer

When Anna Maxwell Martin was on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 show this morning (talking initially about her return to Line of Duty) she also mentioned another project. She is one of the cast of the Nick Payne play Constellations due to be performed in London (at the Royal Court Theatre). We’ll explain why CultBox readers (with access to London) should be interested.

What is Constellations about?

Here’s the summary of the plot:

A quantum physicist and a beekeeper meet at a barbeque. They hit it off, or perhaps they don’t. They go home together, or maybe they go their separate ways. In the multiverse, with every possible future ahead of them, a love of honey could make all the difference…

Welcome to the multiverse theory, exploring the relationship (or not) between two people and just some of the myriad of ways it might develop, In other words it’s a romance told in the form of an explanation of multiverse theory. If you want more hard science, here’s a link to some commentary by Stephen Hawking. You don’t need a physics degree to enjoy the play;-)

Who’s in it?

When it first toured, it was on Broadway performed by Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson in 2015, then came to the Royal Court it starred Louise Brealey (Sherlock) and Joe Armstrong (Happy Valley). In a twist, this run will move between four different pairs of actors (pictured). The actors are: Sheila Atim (Harlots) and Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans) (18 June – 1 August), Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It, Doctor Who) and Zoë Wanamaker (Shadow and Bone) (23 June – 24 July), Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin) and Russell Tovey (being Human) (30 July – 11 September), and Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty, Motherland) and Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd) (6 August – 12 September).

Michale Longhurst is the returning director, and you can read more in the Donmar Productions announcement, including how to book.