←Recommendations of Impossible Theories Of Us

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.

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.

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.

Stunning. As brilliant as the light display that envelops the entire piece. John Mabey gives us two characters who instantly charm us and takes us on a journey through their life together and beyond. Whether through science or a miracle, or the miracle of science, the prospect of immortality raises fascinating questions about AI, humanity, memories, and more. There’s a reason this play is gaining so much recognition. Read it and you’ll understand.

There's a charming Black Mirror aesthetic to IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES OF US by John Mabey, but Mabey goes deeper than that in their IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES. While a Black Mirror episode might leave the reader with a bleak overall feeling of "technology is bad", Mabey explores the ethics of AI as well as love, grief, and trans identity in a meaty, highly stylized full-length piece for two actors with an inventive narrative structure. A miracle? A tragedy? A rom-com? It's all of these things. Sounds impossible, but I have a theory John Mabey has pulled through for us.

A beautiful, beautiful play about loss, memory, grief, identity, relationships, technology, and the very essence of humanity--some weighty stuff! I appreciated how huge existential themes were explored through this charming, intimate, deftly-rendered relationship. I also so appreciated how Gina existed as a trans character and her world and life were so clearly shaped and influenced by various bits of her identity, but we saw her journey in an extremely intersectional manner. How her gender was discussed with Keith as he and Gina contemplated his fate and impending transformation in the "past tense" scenes was nuanced and lovely.

A lovely meditation on the joy of authentic connection and the question of what makes us human. From their earliest, fresh and funny meet-cute connection through the grappling with what memory means to their final incorporeal reunion, Gina and Keith are constantly engaging and constantly pulling us into their struggle with the very nature of reality.

A brilliant play about loss and the ethics of AI technology. This play has a fantastic role for a trans woman.