Sparkfest Review: Constellations, Bath Spa University Theatre – ‘Sparkles with wit’

“Every choice, every decision you’ve ever and never made exists in an unimaginably vast ensemble of parallel universes.” Roland is a beekeeper, and Marianne is a physicist. They meet at a rainy BBQ and after several charmingly awkward attempts to flirt, their love story begins.

Perhaps inspired by Constellations’ 2021 revival at the Vaudville Theatre, these two roles in the play are each played by four different actors, ignoring gender and physical appearance and instead relying on costuming to signify who is who. Scenes are often repeated several times with differing outcomes, as the play jumps across time and between dimensions to explore how tiny decisions can lead to completely different realities.

The format means that the audience gets to compare and contrast different actors’ interpretations of each scene, and while in the context of the play this works well (as different versions of ourselves might as well be separate people entirely), it is hard not to directly compare the performances of the actors themselves in the same roles.

As some pairings have notably more chemistry than others, I find myself being taken out of the show, wanting certain members of the cast to return and others to leave in what ultimately becomes a gladiator fight of talent.

While I do think that the show would be stronger overall as the two-hander it was originally written to be, the fact that each performer delivers such an individual and nuanced take on their scene precludes the format from becoming tired and repetitive.

At first glance at the set for Constellations, you might be forgiven for mistaking it for an IKEA catalogue. Bulbs hang suspended from the ceiling, and a lamp, sofa and a table are spaced out across the stage.

Far from the effect being dull though, this sense of normalcy is a huge part of the message of the play, adding a sense of domesticity that contrasts deliciously with the conflicts that arise.

These two ordinary people and their love story is explored inside out and backwards, with the lack of any other characters serving to highlight how these defining moments in a relationship feel like the centre of the universe as they are being lived.

While you could be concerned that the scientific themes regarding the universe’s indifference to individuals and relationships could undermine the love story at the centre of the play, rendering it cold, the metaphysical ideas are here applied to the human nature at the heart of the story in a way that feels touchingly sentimental.

Like its namesake, this play sparkles with wit, bringing light to what quickly becomes a very dark subject matter. Almost as though those tiny moments of joy in the darkness are the reason we would risk having our hearts broken in the first place.

Sparkfest 2022 runs from May 9-June 14. For more information and tickets to all shows, visit www.sparkfest.co.uk

Main photo: Sparkfest

Read more: Review: Dance of Death, Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath – ‘An excellent piece of theatre’

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: