Constellations by Nick Payne
I chat with a lot of you as you leave the theatre each season and you will know by now that I always like to include at least one play which makes you think, may challenge you and will almost certainly lead you to examine just a little bit about how the universe works. Constellations is that play. It ran in the West End and garnered an Olivier Award. At its most simplistic level it’s a love story between an unlikely pair - a beekeeper and a physicist.
Through their relationship they explore love, the universe, different dimensions and parallel universes. It’s funny, moving and yes - challenging. Those people who came to see last year’s “thinking” play Folk were absolutely delighted by it. For many it was their favourite of the season. But it was also the least well attended play. Please accept my advice on Constellations and make it one of your must sees!
The Sociable Plover by Tim Whitnall
Tim Whitnall’s wonderful dark comedy opens the evening for us…
Nothing and nobody will stop Roy Tunt from spotting his wild birds and today, a stormy December morning on England's desolate east coast, he pursues a very special mission. With one more tick in his dog-eared notebook, Roy will have recorded all 567 species on the British List. The prevailing conditions are ideal and the time is perfect to welcome an elusive vagrant from the Asian Steppe, the rare and beautiful Sociable Plover.
Roy sequesters himself away in a bird-spotter's hide on a stretch of flooded marshland. With a packed lunch and a framed photograph of his ex-wife for company, he watches and waits. But might he, perhaps, have other plans? And who is the tall, dark and handsome stranger battling his way through the flood waters towards him? All will be revealed inside the hide…
