WHEN MATHS IS FUN

If you have been waiting for something that makes science fun, vibrant and sexy, Suzie Miller’s ‘The Mathematics of Longing’ is your jackpot! In a seamless flow of scenes, the performers of the dance-theatre group The Farm move with ease between several plot lines. They explore human relationships, the laws of attraction, and the effects of time and hardships on their relationships.

With poignant symbolic references conveyed through physical theatre and ingenious staging, this show expertly integrates mathematical concepts into everyday life, creating the image of a beautifully logical world on a molecular level.

Yes versus no. Nothing or everything? Imaginary or real? And, really, how real is it? What is the “theory of everything”? The questions asked in this show are big, yet the audience is not bombarded with heavy science. This is not a classroom. This is sexy science, exploring curious questions in a witty and refreshing blend of humour and physics.

The arena seating is one of the strengths of La Boite Theatre, and this group utilises it to its fullest potential. Three sets of stairs leading up to a raised platform serve as a playground for seasoned performers who know exactly how to make the most of their performance space. We get a truly multidimensional perspective of the concepts explored in the play. Every scene is played in parallel to its silent counterpart as physical theatre and dance take on the job of symbolic representations of the scripted dialogues. Delightful, yet grounded!

Attraction, entanglement, longing… “Once connected, the matter is always connected.” Are we together even after we choose to be apart? How many possible futures do we have? This clever script says nothing apart from what is necessary. It beautifully builds to a finale in which the relationships are resolved, leaving the audience feeling full of questions about their own lives.

This is powerful, thought provoking and exciting theatre!

The Mathematics of Longing runs until June 23 at La Boite Theatre.