Pulp Reviews: SUDS' Constellations
Review by Ellie stephenson.
I’ve come to Holme Building’s Cellar Theatre to watch the Sydney University Dramatic Society’s (SUDS) in-person (!!) production, Constellations. The production, starring Zoe Clarke and Stuart Robinson as its characters, Marianne and Roland, is an otherworldly reflection on time, agency and relationships. The story unfolds against a backdrop painted with galaxies. The set and costumes are minimalist and there are few props. The lighting - at times pink, deep blue, or bright white - washes the theatre, giving the sense that Marianne and Roland’s love story occurs suspended in space; our stars inhabit the centre of a Cellar Theatre-sized multiverse.
The visuals created by set designer Emily Brophy and lighting designer Sophie Morissey were complemented by eerie sound from designer Sam Cheng. Their work combined to create a distinct atmosphere within the theatre and draw the audience’s attention to the actors.
The plot revolved around the lives of Marianne, an astrophysicist, and Roland, a beekeeper. The narrative is fragmented, jolting forwards and backwards in time, with scenarios repeating and changing constantly. The characters meet at a barbecue, where Marianne asks an initially bashful Roland to lick his elbow. The scene replays again and again and again - slightly different each time. Each replay is signalled with a glitching sound.
We jump to other scenarios - Marianne and Roland on their first date; Marianne confessing she cheated on Roland and vice versa; the two reuniting at ballroom dancing lessons; Roland proposing; Marianne suffering from brain cancer.
Marianne and Roland’s date provides us with our first insight into the play’s concept: Marianne is talking about astrophysics to a confused, but aroused, Roland. He’s disturbed by the idea of a multiverse, probing her about free choice and the meaning of life. Marianne provides two different ideas - in two different fragments of the scene - about how to understand the multiverse. On the one hand, she suggests alternate realities provide humans with true free choice: you can create the reality you inhabit. In the next scene, she argues humans are nothing but molecules.
Watching the rest of the play unfold, it feels as though we jolt between different realities: some of them more optimistic than others, some of them more dysfunctional, the two characters making different choices in each universe but ultimately being gravitationally pulled together.
The Director, Declan Coyle, and Assistant Director, Pratha Nagpal, have made effective use of pace. The scenes alternate between solemn and frenetic, adding to the sense of fragmentation and making Marianne and Roland’s relationship all the more emotional. The play is simultaneously introspective and cosmological: while cancer-afflicted Marianne struggles to exercise agency, even in the context of choosing her words, we’re flicking between different universes. During one of the couple’s breakups, Marianne tells Roland “there’s just no linear explanation for it” - this is perhaps true of the play as a whole.
A stand out element of the production is the energy and commitment of the actors. With only two characters appearing on stage and a fragmented plot, Clarke and Robinson needed significant stamina to present a compelling performance for 75 minutes. Fortunately, the consistency of their characterisation and the charisma they gave to Roland and Marianne meant it was easy to follow and become invested in the narrative. Robinson’s Roland provided some great comic relief in his rather awkward proposals, and Clarke’s depiction of Marianne’s cancer was touching.
Overall, Constellations is an exciting return to in-person theatre. The production team has succeeded in creating an immersive atmosphere for some convincing and emotional acting. Hearing about beekeeping, ballroom dancing, and elbow licking over - and over - again might sound dull, but it was brought to life by producer Annie Fraser, the directors, cast, and crew.