Dallas Review: Millennial Poison Theatre Company Presents “Constellations”
Shawn Stalter, Chief Dallas/Ft. Worth Critic
Millennial Poison Theatre Company’s production of “Constellations” delivers a supremely intimate, unique and engaging performance. Together, cast and crew unlock access to a powerful, visceral experience which is as thought-provoking as it is captivatingly entertaining.
Written by Nick Payne, “Constellations” takes audiences on an intriguing exploration of the theoretical concept of a multiverse as viewed through the lens of human interaction. Here, two lovers’ orbits intersect and collide across a series of parallel realities. Glimpses of the stories unfolding in each version of events parade before the audience in a swirling, engrossing and entirely immersive way. This intimate tale calls into question the very nature of the ocean of time and space in which we swim and suggests that even the smallest change in our circumstances can drastically alter the course of our lives.
Millennial Poison Theatre Company’s production of “Constellations” under the keen direction of Lucas Haupert, brings this inventive show to life with precision and passion. Haupert’s exceptional use of the intimate stage space gives audiences uninhibited physical and emotional access to the show’s two dynamic characters.
In the opening scene, “Marianne,” a physicist at Cambridge University, played by the talented Claire Fountain, meets beekeeper, “Roland,” powerfully performed by Ian McGee at a backyard barbeque. Their chance encounter occurs at a particular intersection of circumstances that thrusts them headfirst into the expanding and contracting branches of the multiverse. In the following vignettes, “Marianne” and “Roland” interact across parallel tales fully-steeped in the jubilation, agony, pleasure and defeat which manifest across each unique offshoot of the story.
Fountain and McGee each delivered their demanding roles with emotionally charged and supremely accessible performances. Their connection, affected by the distinct state of affairs in each unique branch of the tale, remained wholly engrossing and perfectly matched to their circumstances. One scene’s dialogue, completed entirely in sign language, further served to underscore the talent and dynamism of this all-star duo.
The result was a finely-tuned and gripping production offering a spellbinding exploration of the human spirit and our understanding of reality. It forces each of us to ask how the constellations in our own lives have aligned to set us on our current path and leaves us pondering the nature of our own existence. Millennial Poison Theatre Company’s exceptional performance of “Constellations” is a must-see experience that DFW theatregoers cannot afford to miss.
“CONSTELLATIONS”
Millennial Poison Theatre Company’s performance of Nick Payne’s “Constellations” is directed by Lucas Haupert and runs through November 24th, 2019. The show stars Claire Fountain as “Marianne” and Ian McGee as “Roland,” and includes Joan Milburn and Carson D. Wright as understudies for these demanding roles. Alana Henry provides stage management and lighting design, Juan Zaragoza III delivers sound design and additional stage management and soundboard operation is courtesy of Dylan Mobley.
Reserve a seat for “Constellations” at the Aloft Hotel in downtown Dallas right away by visiting mpconstellations.eventbrite.com and be sure to learn more about Millennial Poison Theatre Company at https://www.facebook.com/MillennialPoisonDFW/.
Photo Credit: Lucas Haupert