The Darkest Timelines

For the overthinker that resides in most people’s heads, one constant obsession is: “What if I said or did something differently that night?”

Nick Payne shows us the results of a multitude of scenarios across the multiverse in Constellations, a new two-hander.

Marianne (Derrien Kellum) and Roland (Alex Benjamin) encounter each other for the first time while brandishing beers at a rainy party. Thus begins their story in every reality. “There’s nothing worse than a soggy barbecue” is Marianne’s opening gambit in every version. But from there we witness several versions of what happens next. In some it’s a meet cute; in others, not so much. Sometimes she says (or admits) the wrong thing that messes it all up; sometimes he does. In some universes they part company, in others they make a commitment to each other. The scenes range from lengthy to extremely brief, with the switch to a new reality signaled by sound and lighting effects. Marianne being well educated in Quantum Physics adds a nice touch of science to the proceedings.

Much of the comedy comes from the very slight differences in the early scenes, and from the awkwardness and anxiety of a new connection—the desperate desire to get every word and action exactly right is one that we can all relate to. 

Things take a darker turn when one of the pair gets terrible news, and the narrative becomes far more intense across each reality. In one version everything turns out OK; in another, the couple’s world collapses. There is a unique fascination in watching things play out very differently depending on a single misstep by the protagonists; and in some cases, even a single thought put into inelegantly expressed words can set circumstances hurtling towards a point of no return. 

The actors are astonishingly skillful in hopping from one version of their storylines to another in a split-second. Benjamin has a Ross Gellar-style angst and desperation that carries over across universes; Kellum is steady and heartfelt, and her characterization and narrative throughline ground the play. Watching Kellum and Benjamin play out different versions of the same scene has a meta quality; we’re not just seeing characters make different choices, we’re actually seeing the craft of acting in real-time as they make subtle changes in their words and inflections. The effect is like watching an ongoing rehearsal within a production. Michael Grenham’s deft direction holds it all together, as does Malena Logan’s stark set painted in evening shades, and illuminated with strung lights symbolizing stars in the sky.

Constellations runs through July 28 at the American Theatre of Actors.