A simple story of love and quantum physics

Following acclaimed runs at the Royal Court, the West End and on Broadway, the original production of Nick Payne’s smart 2012 play arrives at the Trafalgar Studios with a fresh cast – Louise Brealey (Sherlock’s Molly) and Joe Armstrong – stepping into shoes recently filled by Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins and – Stateside – Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson. No pressure, then.

Happily the two-hander, which explores a relationship through the prism of quantum multiverse theory (that old chestnut), still shines and Michael Longhurst’s production remains as lean and snappy as its script (coming in at a brisk 70 minutes). Even if the two stars don’t always capture the chemistry needed to deliver the emotional wallop the material cries out for, remains superb.

We meet the two would-be lovers Marianne and Roland – she a gawky theoretical physicist, all elbows and bad jokes, he a humble beekeeper, solid and earthy – at a barbecue where Marianne attempts to chat up Roland. Each snapshot is a different universe, a different possibility: sometimes he’s married, sometimes he’s in a relationship, sometimes he’s single. Fate, free will and the universe are all under the microscope here. This is a thinking man’s romcom.

The two then proceed to dance a cosmic waltz, skipping through alternative versions of their relationship(s), jumping to and fro between universes. We often see the same scene half a dozen times, with minute but crucial differences. When it all works – a hilarious proposal scene, the moment they’re reunited at a ballroom dancing class – it’s hugely rewarding, and a reminder that in Payne we have one of the most exciting dramatists in years.

Constellations is ultimately an oldfashioned love story with a heart that remains stubbornly bigger than its brain. Carpe diem is the message, whichever universe you’re in.