Stars on Stage

Romantic comedies are notorious for generally lacking depth or containing many thought-provoking moments, lest they get in the way of the jokes and romance. In Constellations, on the other hand, audiences are not only entertained but also challenged to consider the continuum of free will versus fate, and our perceptions of time, place and much more. 

Nick Payne’s Olivier Award-winning 2012 play is a two-hander that has theoretical physicist Marianne and beekeeper Roland crossing paths at a party and sparking a relationship – nothing out of the ordinary for a rom-com. But their story unfolds across a series of alternate realities, with each choice and action leading to multiple divergent outcomes, leading to a journey through parallel universes that is both heart-opening and mind-blowing. 

As director Jonathan Fox put it, Constellations is a romantic comedy at heart, but the romance story is refracted through the lens of alternate universes.

“The normal questions – do they hit it off, are they meant for each other, do they get together and does their relationship last – those all apply,” said Fox, who is directing the play’s belated Central Coast premiere at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura February 22-March 9. “But each of those chapters gets told in several different ways with both minor and major changes, which it very intriguing. You want this couple to thrive and succeed, but you see lots of different alternatives in their journey that could derail the relationship at any time.”

Driving those variations are the scientific principles of quantum physics and string theory, which posit that we may not be the only universe in existence. Which means, Fox said, there may be an infinite number of our lives being told in different ways that we’re just not aware of.

“Which is why the play works on philosophical and spiritual levels, too,” he said. 

There are similarities to the films Sliding Doors and Interstellar as well as Payne’s own 2024 movie We Live in Time, but while those explore themes of reality, time and certainty, Constellations has one major difference. 

“They’re living in these alternate realities right from the get-go,” Fox said. “There’s no defining moment or single choice that changes everything.” 

Kodi Jackman and Tom Ainsley, who are both making their Rubicon debuts, bested more than 4,000 actors who were interested in the roles. They were chosen, Fox said, because they came “closest to my conception of who these characters are and had excellent comic timing and depth of emotions, the qualities that I really thought were vital for these roles.” 

The scenery and lighting design (by François-Pierre Couture) also enhances the concept of the story being refracted through the lens of alternate universes. The walls of the theater surrounding the stage have been outfitted with mirrors, inspired by the Infinity Room at the Broad Museum in LA. 

“You get to see the actors reflected in several different ways even as you see them directly on the stage, which has a very abstract feel and a sense of outer space,” Fox said. “It amplifies the effect of going from one universe to another over and over again with slightly different outcomes in each of them that then affect future scenes.”

While audiences can expect to consider the paths of their own lives, Fox’s take on Constellations is an upbeat one, not meant to evoke regrets. 

“I do take an optimistic view of the play,” said Fox, who twice previously tried to secure the rights to the play for the Ensemble Theatre, before it premiered on Broadway and later in Los Angeles, both productions that he saw. “To me, you come uplifted by the idea that life is full of infinite possibilities.”