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Impossible Theories Of Us by John Mabey

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  • Philip Middleton Williams:
    26 Apr. 2024
    “ Because the mind cannot truly comprehend the idea of its own mortality, we create images, ideas, realms, worlds -- or afterworlds -- of what happens when one life ends. Does another begin? Can it be captured some way? And what happens to those we love and leave behind... do they still stay with us and us with them? John Mabey's play doesn't answer these profound questions, but the possibilities... oh, so many. The journeys of Gina and Keith are told in simple conversations that are deeply affecting and binding, and we become closer to the impossible theories and each other. ”
  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    26 Apr. 2024
    “ Oh my gosh, this beautiful play! It's about love and loss and change and denial and acceptance and so much more, and it feels like poetry. I love the layers to the dialogue and how the play is simultaneously a small play about one singular relationship, and also a giant play about enormous topics like ethics in science, grief, and faith. Impossible Theories of Us deserves all the praise it has already gotten and more! ”
  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn:
    20 Apr. 2024
    “ Magic. A tiny miracle that grows and grows. That is the relationship we are allowed to bear witness to between Gina and Keith. This is a gift. Humans cling so hard to memory and each other, sometimes holding too tightly is how we lose what we had. But Gina clinging to Keith, both real and hologram, is actually evidence that they will always find each other again. Like energy seeking like energy. This is the most human science fiction you may ever experience. ”
  • Bruce Karp:
    20 Apr. 2024
    “ It's hard to imagine a more innovative way to tell a story than the one Mr. Mabey has created. The humanity of the characters is special, with the play's characters speaking in simple, heartfelt ways. You can feel the longings, the sadness, the joys, the questioning...the play just floats. A wonderful read and it's already garnering productions and most likely, some awards. Well done! ”
  • Aly Kantor:
    27 Jan. 2024
    “ The first John Mabey play I ever read was "True Skies," and it blew me away. It was so incredible to discover the rest of that touching and memorable story - and who could have guessed that it would be a science fiction epic about what it means to be human? Truly, reflecting the best of humanity on the stage seems to be Mabey's gift. This play is, at turns, harrowing and hopeful, but always about people, warts and all. The mastery of dialogic rhythm brings it to the next level. Genre theatre at its best! ”
  • Jillian Blevins:
    26 Jan. 2024
    “ ITOU is the best kind of sci-fi, where abstract concepts—faith, identity, the afterlife—are made literal and urgent by speculative circumstances (in this case, advanced AI technology which can recreate consciousness from recorded memories).

    ITOU reminds me a bit of my favorite episode of Black
    Mirror, and a bit of John Mighton’s quantum physics romance, POSSIBLE WORLDS—but this play is uniquely John Mabey. Gina’s transness is an essential element of her character and the play. It’s not her trauma, but her superpower, allowing her to imagine a self that shifts and expands and contains multitudes. ”
  • Sarah Tuft:
    25 Jan. 2024
    “ IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES OF US is a tender, timeless journey through love, longing, and loss that incorporates imagined (future) technologies resulting in an exquisite science fiction romance. Mabey’s talent for crafting three-dimensional characters through their choices works in tandem with his fine ear for truthfully layered dialogue to create an utterly human story that’s stunning in its simplicity. Theaters will be lucky to produce this knock-out of a play! ”
  • Baylee Shlichtman:
    23 Jan. 2024
    “ A gorgeously written character-driven sci-fi where the two leads have undeniable chemistry and not a beat is wasted. The final image in this play took my breath away. ”
  • Jack Seamus Conley:
    16 Jan. 2024
    “ I don't often gravitate towards sci-fi, but this play is a stunning exception. This is an achingly human, beautiful work that had me fully engaged the entire time. The relationship between Gina and Keith is tender, honest, and believable in a way that it takes incredible skill to capture. "Impossible Theories of Us" is sheer brilliance start to end; it deserves a full production, and soon. ”
  • Dave Osmundsen:
    12 Jan. 2024
    “ An intimate epic of the cosmos, “Impossible Theories of Us” has the mystery of a “Black Mirror” episode, the poetic economy of a Caryl Churchill play, and the wonder of Nick Payne’s “Constellations.” This play, in its own unique manner, is a memory play. Not the kind where a character relives memories, but rather about trying to recapture one’s own memories, complicated by the question of whether the objects of our memories have agency. Compelling moral/ethical questions, fused with an emotionally engaging and charming pas de deux, make this play a stunner. ”

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