←Recommendations of Impossible Theories Of Us

In Impossible Theories of Us, the way that love and connection are able to transfer through technology, through death, and through transition in the play is such a powerful depiction of the human experience. And while Mabey's use of imagery provides a lot of opportunity for very cool technical elements, the tenderness of the piece is what makes it so striking. This is an excellent option for theatres looking to produce a two person play with minimal set that packs a real punch!

This is a fabulously complex meditation on mortality and connection, full of wonderful language and thought-provoking ideas. Got a chance to see it at Seattle Public Theater's Distillery New Works Festival, and the audience was absolutely captivated. Highly recommend for theatres looking for a dynamic, low-resource two-hander to fill out their season.

The moral questions raised in this play are really important, and the play itself is filled with moments of tenderness, love and hope. I am moved by the relationship at its center and enjoy how Mabey keeps us guessing as to where the play might take us, how love and loss play out over time, and how humanity might be able to learn from technology as we respond to and learn from what it could offer. Such an imaginative piece! A beautiful play.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!