Marianne playfully challenges Roland with the quirky comment that “elbows hold the secret of mortality”.
His initial response is indifference but the dialogue is repeated several times providing Ronald with the opportunity to change his response each time.
The audience is introduced at the beginning of the play to the possibilities of a range of outcomes that can occur where choice exists.
Indeed the spoken word becomes an underlying theme when Marianne begins to struggle with articulating her thoughts we are given the first clue to her condition of expressive aphasia. This is a serious condition caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language.
Pathos and empathy for the character were woven into the dialogue as Marianne pleads in a recurring comment “I’m so tired”.
Discussions about quantum theory and relativity theory emerge and a strong suggestion is made about string theory bridging the gap between the two.
This strategy is employed throughout the play where there are varied scenarios that elicit one response. Then the scene is reenacted several times, each time with a different reaction.
This creates a layered and innovative script that requires the audience to attend carefully to the spoken word.