THE MATHEMATICS OF LONGING - A Captivating Equation

The Mathematics of Longing, presented by La Boite in collaboration with playwright Suzie Miller's Production Company The Uncertainty Principle and dance-theatre company The Farm, is a new work by Miller, who's Dad was 'fluent in mathematical formulas and equation', which lead her to study science at university for a decade before she became a playwright. From a young age, she dreamt of combining her passion and knowledge of science and mathematics with theatre, and the Mathematics of Longing merges them both beautifully. Co-created by actors Kate Harman, Todd MacDonald, Ngoc Phan, Merlynn Tong and Gavin Webber, the piece explores the multi-dimensional nature of time through two couples; a physicist (MacDonald) and a playwright (Pham) with an interest in the scientific field (much like Miller herself) along with their daughter (Tong) and rockstar Adam (Webber) and his girlfriend Ines (Harman).

Although the structure of the play is non-linear, they are all somehow connected; reflective of the multi-dimensional nature of time. Performing on a raised platform with three sets of stairs, the five actors were emotionally invested in their roles; which included the loss of a newborn, break-ups, lectures on complicated mathematical equations and a lot of sex. The chemistry between MacDonald and Phan was filled with warmth and love and the heartbreak they felt over the loss of their child was beautifully executed. Kate Harman's physicality and movement added another sort of dynamic into the narrative, with my favourite moment of the play being when both couples danced together. I loved the disjointed, fragmented nature of the scenes and the abstract nature of the exploration of the scientific theorems within those scenes such as Newtonian principles, dark matter and atomic structures. It's true, Merlynn Tong didn't have much to do or many lines to say, but she had incredible stage presence and was the often silent narrator of the piece.

However, as an audience member, I felt that the opening of the work was both misleading and confusing for the audience. It certainly didn't have the confronting effect that no doubt the creatives yearned for. Despite one of the 'galaxies' not moving, it was good idea by Ross Manning to have the metal rods hanging from the ceiling. It might have been worth spending more time figuring out how to operate all three of them consecutively in the production week. That being said, I loved the moment when the books lined up in a circle across the stage collapsed, like a game of dominoes, leaving behind a powerful image of the characters trapped in the world of knowledge. Ben Hughes's colour palette complimented the abstract nature of the theorems and composer Ben Ely made me feel like I was in the science centre; playing with the scientific instruments and models.

Miller's piece finds the beauty in science and in theory and translates that beauty onto the stage almost effortlessly. It's raw, it's vulnerable and it's smart and it tells us that even with uncertainty there is hope and that it's okay not knowing the answer to all of the questions as there are an infinite amount of questions across the board and in this universe, there is only one you.

Show: The Mathematics of Longing

Playwright: Suzie Miller

Season: 2nd -23rd June

Tickets: laboite.com.au

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