A relationship unfolds across infinite realities in Silo Theatre’s latest production. Liam Rātana reviews.
There’s something transfixing about the potential of multiple realities. Just like a game of chess, life changes depending on the moves you make, or those you don’t. This is the premise of Constellations – a show originally written by British playwright Nick Payne and adapted by Nī Dekkers-Reihana for their debut as a theatrical director.
The first thing that struck me about the show is how scaled back it is. Attending opening night at Q Theatre in Central Auckland, I was surprised to see nothing but a circular stage in the middle of the space, covered with bright green astroturf and two paths curving away at opposite sides. It was indicative of where Dekkers-Reihana wanted the crowd’s focus to be – on the two actors who hold the 90-minute show together.
The production is centred on an unfurling relationship between Rowley (Jarod Rawiri) and Maarire (Renaye Tamati). The duo meet at a Matariki event hosted by mutual friends and a romantic spark eventually catches fire. However, the beauty of Constellations is that it jumps between realities where that spark simultaneously dies quickly, burns slowly, and combusts in a roaring inferno.
Maarire is an astrophysicist who refers to string theory, multiplicity and the magic of the cosmos throughout the show – subtle hints for the audience to pick up on what’s happening. A simple guitar riff, sound effects and gasping by Rawiri indicates when the show is jumping from one reality to another.
Each scene is depicted in a different manner: The actor’s dialogue, mannerisms and actions all illustrate a different reality, triggering a new direction for the story to travel. Rawiri and Tamati are able to switch incredibly quickly from being tender and loving to harsh and confronting. Through each moment, the challenging, messy uncertainty of love and life is portrayed. Timidness is contrasted with vulnerability, hastiness with regret, and forgiveness with pride.
While centred around Matariki and with te reo Māori woven throughout, Constellations isn’t, strictly speaking, Māori theatre. It’s theatre that has been led by Māori, with Māori actors and elements, but doesn’t lean into tropes we may have come to expect from Māori-led productions.
The production is basically all dialogue, but it’s not all heavy. Lighter moments exist amongst the heaviness of the storyline, which draws back the curtain on the variable truths of romance: Rowley’s multiple proposals in which he likens himself to the drone and worker bees he works with had the audience laughing. Meanwhile, the actors’ reactions to each other’s infidelity provided the perfect platform for a portrayal of the multiple ways in which people handle such situations.
While I enjoyed the premise of the show, I struggled with its length and some of the repetitiveness in the latter third of the show. One of the more intense scenes near the end of the show revolving around a diagnosis and several different outcomes, left me feeling drained and confused rather than enraptured.
Combined with the fact there’s no intermission, constant skipping between parallel realities and similar themes across scenes, the 90-minute show requires a level of concentration that becomes tiring towards the end. However, it skilfully builds towards a climatic finish, leaving the audience simultaneously ecstatic and heartbroken.
Constellations left me grateful for the gift of life and its possibilities, yet pondering the what-ifs. It’s certainly geared towards romantics and those who enjoy stories of love and heartbreak. Both Rawiri and Tamati delivered masterful performances and overall, it must be considered a triumphal directorial debut for Dekkers-Reihana.
Constellations is showing at Q Theatre until 19 July. Tickets can be purchased here.
