LifeX3

[Christine Daaé]

I think Geoffrey was in a play with his wife called LifeX3. Has anybody heard more about it?

[RoseByrne]

I have never heard of it! Wow! I had no idea he was in a play called LifeX3! That's really cool!

[Marquis De Sade]

I've heard of it! Here is some info about it:

One of the most interesting theories to come out of modern physics is the idea of parallel universes. According to this, there are other universes existing alongside our own with varying physical laws and composition. In the most fanciful interpretation of this theory, there's an infinite number of parallel universes, in which inifinitely subtle variations of the same lives are played out. It's this concept French playwright Yasmina Reza draws upon for her new play Lifex3.

Fittingly, her main character Henri (Geoffrey Rush) is a cosmologist, a physicist working on the very essence and nature of the universe. His wife Sonia (Jane Menelaus) is a lawyer working for a finance company. They're relaxing at home, bickering about whether their six year old son should have something to eat after bedtime, when another couple unexpectedly arrive at the door. It's Henri's colleague Hubert (Tony Llewellyn-Jones) and his wife Inès (Deidre Rubenstein), invited for a dinner party but forgotten in a mix-up of dates.

It's from such simple beginnings that Reza crafts her story. The following evening is played out three times over 90 minutes, each sequence made distinctly different by small variations. The likeable-but-moody Henri is at the centre of these. His reaction to the news that another scientist is about to publish a similar work before his, varies from deep anxiety to a relaxed indifference, simply because of the nature in which he's discovered the news.

The manipulative Hubert has unexpected aspects of his relationship to Sonia revealed, and the "hausfrau" Inès gets her moment to shine. The most interesting moments in each set are when two of the characters are left alone for a moment; something different always flows from these brief interactions.

These subtle investigations on human behaviour and stimuli are traced out against the giant backdrop of cosmology, much as Art was overshadowed by the world of modern art, and The Unexpected Man by literature. Reza likes these contrasts of the huge and the human, and the results are often delightful and laugh-inducing.

With a cast of this calibre, the acting is naturally superb. Rush stands out for his split-second timing and easy control of his body, making Henri a very real character. The other three are equally adept, and all combine in a smooth ensemble effort. Mention must also be made of Stephen Curtis' excellent set, which looks like a work of surreal art with its glass cabinet and wall seemingly floating in the air. With the extensive use of the revolve, we are presented with a miniature universe in Henri and Sonia's flat, the people and rounded furniture all orbiting the globe-like lampshade on the central desk.

In quantum physics, it's said the observer determines the events he or she is observing. In a similar way, the audience feels like the catalyst in Lifex3, as the same half-hour is played out twice with fascinating results. Lifex3 is another triumph for Reza, and for the play's Australian cast and crew.

[Jewel]

Thanks for posting that!! I had no idea!

[Marquis De Sade]

It seems like a really good play. I wonder how it went.

[*~Blue-Muffin~*]

It probably went really good. I wish I could of seen it!

[OrlandoBloom]

Yeah, I think it would of been an awesome play because Geoffrey and his wife's acting is so amazing.

[Catherine]

Geoffrey has been in 3 theater production and a movie with his wife

* LifeX3 theater production. She played his wife in it too. - Sonia
* The importance of being earnest Jane Menelaus as Gwendolen and Geoffrey as Earnest
* Benefactors (1986 - they first met - the year I was born.. hehe)
* The movie Quills.. she played his wife in the movie - Renee Pelagie

There many be more but not sure...