by Lydia Baxter

In 2016, 8.78 million people lived in London. 8.6 million of them used public transport on a regular basis. More than 14 million tourists visited the city. With so many people running around, what are the chances that two disparate individuals would meet at a train station and initiate a relationship that would shape their lives indefinitely?

Like the characters in Heisenberg, London is multifaceted and constantly evolving. People from across the world move there and with each new arrival, the city’s landscape changes. Just two years ago, over 40 percent of inner London’s population was born in a country other than England. As a result, visiting London this year will be a completely different experience from exploring the city in a year or two. London’s refusal to stagnate is what makes the city an ideal setting for Heisenberg, for it parallels Georgie and Alex’s perpetual transformations.

Living in this dynamic beehive of a city, it is likely that Heisenberg’s characters–neither of whom hail from England–would feel like outsiders and struggle to feel as if they belong. Director of the original MTC production, Mark Brokaw explains that Georgie and Alex are “two very lonely, isolated people who…open each other up in a very remarkable way…and are trying to find a way to fit in.” So even though there are millions of people around them, the characters of Heisenberg feel somewhat disconnected. It isn’t until Georgie spontaneously decides to kiss Alex that they begin to feel connected to another person. The characters’ search for connection and love is universal, and is one of the many reasons that Heisenberg resonates with so many people.