EAGLE TIMES STAFF
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT — Northern Stage’s season continues in the new year with Nick Payne’s cosmic love story Constellations with performances from Jan. 24 to Feb. 11 in the Byrne Theater at the Barrette Center for the Arts.
Directed by Northern Stage’s Associate Artistic Director Sarah Elizabeth Wansley, Nick Payne’s Olivier Award-winning modern romance “Constellations” follows Roland, a beekeeper, and Marianne, a scientist, from their first meeting through a multitude of possible futures. From marriage to heartbreak, through sickness and health, and back again, “Constellations” is a play that reveals the vast universe of possibilities in our lives.
“’Constellations’ is the story of a couple who find and lose and find each other again in multiple universes,” said Wansley. “The play is poetic and playful, funny and quite moving. In our production, we’ve added a live pianist on stage to play both the expanse of the cosmos and the intricacies of human connection. Our production stars real life married couple Robert David Grant and Izzie Steele; their chemistry on stage is extraordinary and I think you will fall in love with their story.”
“Constellations” received its world premiere in London in 2012, starring Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins, and its Broadway Premiere in 2015, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson. The 2021 West End revival directed by Michael Longhurst won the 2022 Olivier Awards for Best Revival and Best Actress.
Payne’s “dazzling […] high-concept romance”, according to The Guardian, is “a drama about time and memory, about death and grief, playful and profound, comic and mournful. It asks big questions about existence, purpose and free will but […] also feels weightless and fun. It affirms life, love and companionship even as it drives toward the death of its ending. A theatrical multiverse indeed.”
This cast features Izzie Steele as Marianne and Robert David Grant as Roland. The cast will be accompanied by pianist Rose Van Dyne.
Joining Wansley on the creative team are Joey Mendoza (scenic designer), Lexi Spanier (costume designer), Alek Deva (sound designer), Mary Ellen Stebbins (lighting designer), Colt Luedtke (production stage manager), Monique St. Cyr (assistant director) and Julia Egizio (assistant stage manager).
Northern Stage’s 2023-24 Season continues in March with Olivier Award-winning comedy, “The Play That Goes Wrong” (March 13 – April 14) by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields, directed by Peter Hackett.
More information can be found at northernstage.org/2023-24-season/.
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