The Toronto Theatre Review: Icarus Theatre’s Constellations 

By Ross

Now. Let it be known that this play, Constellations, written with a fascinating attention to detail and dilemma by Nick Payne (A Life), has stayed with me, embedded in my consciousness ever since I saw it years and years ago on Broadway starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the phenomenally talented Ruth Wilson. Floating up so high with true cosmic magic, the play hypnotized me, not only because of the star power that the two famously infused Constellations with, steeping it in their clever entwined connection and dynamic delivery, but because it was crafted with an intricate and stellar construction that amazed, courtesy of Payne’s expertly sharp writing. And the result was pure quantum creative genius.

In the hands of the up-and-coming Icarus Theatre and director Connor Briggs (Netflix’s “The Killing“), making his Toronto directorial debut, the mystic relativity and repetitive parallel processing remain firmly embedded within its processing, playing out inventively across timelines of unique departure. It waxes cosmological poetry, reflecting on sublime romanticism and string theory, rebounding through repetition with an infinite supply of different outcomes. It’s like a vinyl record that skips from time to time, returning to a melody already heard. But instead of regurgitating the same rendition of the same ol’ song and dance, the play deliciously leads us into another dimension of equally compelling frameworks, thanks to the strong work done by sound designer, Amit Kumar (sound tech @ Canada’s Wonderland); the tenderly felt lighting by designer, Lidia Foote (Fringe’s Dreams); and exacting stage management by Monique Danielle (Bare Bone’s Stiff & Sons), and never gives up its thoughtful premise.

It’s the sharpest of alternative conceptualizations, beautifully handled by our two precise leads; the strongly tuned-in and enticing Emily Anne Corcoran (Studio Theatre’s Richard III), and the equally profound and provocative Anthony Goncharov (Icarus Theatre’s Lobby Hero), handsomely slapping us hard within the Constellations‘ formula, keeping us fully intrigued and engaged right up until the moment we return to their left-footed rekindling. 

Goncharov, the CEO and Artistic Director of Icarus Theatre, alongside Corcoran, his previous acting collaborator in Icarus’ Lobby Hero, engage and excite, flipping forward and back, rewinding and fast-forwarding through this utterly compelling production and play, splicing and stitching together scenes and interactions that electrify. Their energy is (as I’ve said before about these two actors) “electric“, breathing complicated, complex, and compelling life into their rewinded reframing. It’s a tenderly felt, expertly unpacked journey, destined to be remembered for a long time coming. They captivate with their well-crafted, thought-provoking constructions, giving us levels of awkward humanity that resonate, and even though at times, the repetitions could have been more strongly unique and nuanced in their creations, differing a bit more from the previously unpacked deliverance, over time, I’m convinced that these two stellar performers will find more and more complex levels, unfurling these interactions with a greater depth and humanity with each click and flash that pushes the momentum forward and back.

Constellations is a profoundly deep puzzle, beautifully constructed in such a compelling manner by the playwright Payne and this dynamic production. It is formulated to excite and elicit a strong emotional response that surprises, mainly because of the way it sneaks in and delivers the already presented intense punch, one that we didn’t register fully before we are given the whole picture. Performing the heartfelt rolling-of-the-dice, “six-thousand times” or more, these two rising stars find their way through exquisitely, existing in a profoundly, authentically, and emotionally relevant way inside their parallel universal wordplay and dynamic chemistry.

I’ve seen this play many times before, with various alterations and variations in age, gender, sexual orientation, and race (check out the 4-framed Donmar Warehouse production streaming on National Theatre Live), yet each time the mystic relativity knocks me down, and pulls me in. Icarus Theatre‘s production of Payne’s Constellations rolls that dice and wins big. It’s fearless and formidable, expertly pulled apart, cut up, and sewn back together again with many different colored threads and needles. It exists and expands in this plane magnificently, and I can’t wait to see what else this emerging theatre company has in store for us.