The Mix,Theatr Clwyd, Yr Wyddgrug/Mold – until May 25th 2024 (English) then 7th/8th June 2024 (Welsh)
Review by Julie Noller
5*****
The major refurbishment is still underway at Theatr Clwyd but fear not theatre is still running as slick as ever. The welcome is warm, surely I won’t be the only one to miss the sight of the Theatr Clwyd car or the little dome on the hill that is The Mix.
The Mix is the perfect setting for Nick Paynes Constellations; it’s compact layout brings you closer to the actors, you are not just observers but feel almost like family living amongst the story as it unfolds. For just over 75 minutes you live in a what if universe, we’ve all had those dreams where you wonder what would happen, what if, all those scenarios playing out in our imagination. Well Nick Payne took that idea and ran with it; the possibilities are endless but this isn’t a superhero saves the world moment but simply a girl meets boy moment. It’s a romance with subtle hints of comedy; taking two people and looking at how they interact and respond to each other through many differing personality traits. Language is often overlooked, how we use it both for and against us. Words can be both comforting and hurtful depending on how used and Constellations showcases this perfectly. Superbly Directed by Daniel Lloyd using Nick Paynes screenplay.
You enter The Mix into a somewhat smokey aura, the flickering light set are the work of Set Designer Hayley Grindle and Lighting Designer Jonathan Chan; Lights and electric bring to mind energy and here we have differing shades of white light from bright to dull, slightly blue at times and then greens to add to the mix, its ghostly at times.
Giving the appearance of time in motion, a circular movement of time playing out. Gwellian Higginson and Aled Pugh as Marianne and Roland are brilliant, they have a bond that is totally believeable. First meeting at a BBQ we fast forward the many first meetings including an interaction in Welsh all may or may not occur but all totally feasible, do opposites attract? Does humour and personality make a relationship work? We see anger and it’s response whilst flipping the coin we see vulnerability and strength.
Marianne is a strong willed, career minded Physicist – sharing her believe in quantum mechanics; nothing is spontaneous, everything is predetermined by the universe, quite like those lights flashing in sequence. Roland is softer more emotional, a beekeeper – sharing his love of honey and the richness of a simple life. The skill on show throughout the entire performance is immense and should be applauded, how both Gwellian and Aled move effortlessly through the dialog but by simply changing stance, facial expressions or the force of language and its context, keeps us the audience on our toes well it changes the energy completely.
There are moments you feel lost, it’s almost like you joined a conversation mid point and you could guess but you’re not quite sure; don’t worry once you reach the end it’s rather like arriving at your destination and you suddenly realise those missing bits are supposed to be missing and it’s all part of the time warp – remember it’s the What If’s that make this play special, you will feel emotion, you will feel as if your breath is silent as if your soul is being pulled onto the stage as the energy intensifies. Layer upon layer of story builds and slots together none of it right but none of it wrong either. You leave without a true conclusion in a conventional sense but you do have the right to leave with your desired ending.
*7th and 8th of June watch Constellations in Welsh. Cytserau.