Nick Payne’s Constellations heads to Joburg after wowing Cape Town
Nick Payne’s compelling play Constellations opened in Cape Town to a rousing response and rave reviews from members of the media and public alike.
Produced by How Now Brown Cow with direction by Jay Pather and starring Mwenya Kabwe and Mark Elderkin, Constellations concludes its run at The Baxter this weekend before heading to Joburg at Theatre on the Square in Sandton from 23 June.
A love story told across parallel universes.
Constellations follows two people navigating connection, heartbreak, and fate – where even the smallest decision can change everything.
Julie-Anne McDowell, producer from How Now Brown Cow states excitedly;
“Joburg, get ready, we are almost on our way. Following our highly acclaimed run at The Baxter Theatre and the most incredible 5 star reviews, we are thrilled to bring the mesmerising Constellations to the Theatre On The Square in Sandton next week. Don’t miss this magical story told by two powerhouse performers!.”
Here is a selection of the responses in Cape Town, giving Joburg audiences added insight into the play before heading to Theatre on the Square:
“The chemistry between Mark Elderkin as Roland and Mwenya Kabwe as Marianne is the beating heart of the production… fascinating and funny and sad – and yes, all at once. Constellations provides a masterful evening of satisfying theatre. It’s the right choice …” – Karen Rutter, Weekend Special
“What a quietly stirring and beautiful piece with two fine actors who catch frequencies and shapeshift into two people and a million possible outcomes. The script resonates with everyone as we all watch with the same trope in our heads…What if we went there? Did that? Highly recommended if you are looking for thoughtful, touching and funny theatre…..Don’t miss it” -Marianne Thamm
“a mesmerising evening of theatre that will leave you pondering your own choices long after the curtain call… acting of the highest order… Stimulating, engaging and beautifully performed, this is theatre that entertains while simultaneously encouraging self-reflection… A must-see production” – Guy McDonald
“Mesmerising theatre… Mark Elderkin and Mwenya Kabwe do justice to a play that teases, challenges and stimulates the audience for every minute of its duration… an artful blend of humour, tenderness, realism and imaginative hypothesis that satisfies both mind and heart… drama of the highest order” – Dr Beverley Brommert, theatre writer and reviewer
“British playwright Nick Payne’s ‘Constellations’ was first seen at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2012, but my word, does it carry weight all these years later in South Africa at the Baxter Theatre on till June 20. Hard to define simply, and yet it simply defines life, love and everything else in all its complexities. Round of applause to the whole team especially performers Mwenya Kabwe and Mark Elderkin and director Jay Pather.” – Nancy Richards
“Jay Pather se regie is altyd iets besonders. Constellations is moontlik een van sy bestes…[Mark] Elderkin en [Mwenya] Kabwe is eenvoudig onnavolgbaar goed.” – Rafiek Mammon, Die Burger
“the pacing felt purposeful, oscillating between intensity and lightness in a way that kept you constantly recalibrating…genuinely impressive….And it held my attention for the full 90 minutes without a flicker — a welcome change in today’s world of a hundred distractions per minute.” – Julia Norrish, Calloffthesearch.com
“absolutely wonderful…Constellations was a wonderful reminder to be where your feet are and consider what might be different if you’d made different choices in the big and small moments.” – Jozi Nupen, Sam Says
Directed by industry luminary and renowned choreographer Jay Pather (The Firebird; Bridling; Hold Still, Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre), Constellations is a spellbinding exploration of love, choices quantum theory and infinite possibility for heartbreak or for hope. Through a kaleidoscope of moments between two people, it asks what might happen if every version of our lives existed at once – and whether love can endure across them all.
The stellar cast features Mark Elderkin (Amadeus; Speelgoed van Glas/The Glass Menagerie; A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Mwenya Kabwe (Hold Still; Yellowman; mAnJE! MaNje (an epic).
Marianne, a physicist and Roland, a beekeeper, meet at a barbeque. They hit it off and go for a drink. Or perhaps they don’t. They go home together, or maybe they go their separate ways. Perhaps Marianne is engaged to someone else, perhaps Roland is. Maybe she breaks his heart, maybe he breaks hers. Perhaps they come together and their love story can finally take root and grow, or perhaps it will be tragically cut short.
Constellations contemplates how even the smallest change in our lives can dramatically alter the course we take.
Director Jay Pather says:
“We have all experiences an ‘if only’ moment. What if I had done something differently, said something else? Would it have worked out better?”
“Constellations is a remarkable play that evokes this human frailty through compelling text, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart wrenching that builds steadily with the inevitability of ancient ritual and Greek drama.”
Show Information:
Constellations
Johannesburg:
Theatre On The Square, Sandton
Dates & Times:
23 June to 11 July 2026
Tuesdays to Fridays at 20h00;
Saturday at 15h00 & 20h00
Ticket Prices:
From R180 – R220 (including VAT)
Bookings:
Bookings available via Webtickets or the Theatre Box Office (011) 883 8606
Duration:
90 minutes (no interval)
Age Restriction:
14+ years
About How Now Brown Cow:
How Now Brown Cow was launched in 2020 during a global pandemic. The company, founded by Actor and Writer Julie-Anne McDowell, was established to offer world class South African and international works for local and international audiences and stages. Daniel Galloway, who was The Fugard Theatre’s Managing Director and Lead Producer from 2009 to 2020, is the General Manager and co-Producer alongside Julie-Anne. During the global theatre shutdown of 2020 and 2021, How Now Brown Cow launched the How Now Brown Cow Writer’s Collective which saw the commissioning of 12 new South African scripts several of which are now in the next phase of development. In 2022 the Production Company released their first short film, The Hive, which was screened to critical acclaim on the international and local film festival circuit. The Beauty Queen of Leenane was How Now Brown Cow’s first stage production in South Africa which was presented in Johannesburg in October 2022 and Cape Town’s The Baxter Theatre in August 2023. The production won five Naledi Theatre Awards, including Best Production of a Play. How Now Brown Cow will be staging 3 new productions in the coming 16 months.
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