Mathematics of the Heart explores the relationship between science and personal relationships, especially with the people we love. If so many aspects of our lives can be justified and explained by scientific discoveries and mathematical formulae, why are there no clear rules for love? What happens when love doesn’t add up?

Paul, a doctor of mathematics at Middlesex University, is obsessed with numbers and formulae. He studies storm patterns and hopes to discover a way to predict the weather months in advance and on a global scale. But Paul, sheltered in his flat, protected by a wall of books and an overactive mind, isn’t so good at living in the present. He doesn’t notice when it’s raining. And he certainly can’t predict the storm that is brewing right on his doorstep, between his girlfriend, Emma, his brother, Matthew and himself.

Emma, a successful lawyer, is getting increasingly tired of waiting for Paul to commit. They still don’t live together, and he is showing no signs of offering the spare key. To make matters worse, Paul’s brother Matthew, a large, loud, incongruous, wannabe rock star, has moved in with him after the sudden death of their father.

Although the script is fast paced and at times very funny, the use of science and maths to illustrate points about human relationships can become stale and clichéd. However, the writer, Kefi Chadwick just manages steers clear of overusing this technique and the play is engaging and entertaining.

Much of the play is focused on Paul and Matthew’s father, whose powerful presence is felt from beyond the grave. As the boxes of his belongings that have congregated in Paul’s living room are sifted through and sorted, Paul, Matthew and Emma are forced to relive painful memories, resulting in a revelation that will impact each of their lives as individuals and their relationships with each other.

Director, Donnacadh O’Briain, successfully toys with traditional theatre with his use of Harriet, the stage manager, who is called on to the stage by the actors to help move boxes and regularly asked to adjust the music. This breakdown of the ‘fourth wall’ is risky and not a decision I always agree with, but in this case it works, perhaps because of the intimate nature of the space.

Mathematics of the Heart is an interesting, although not particularly original, piece of theatre that certainly deserved its Best New Play award at Brighton Fringe Festival 2011.

Visit the website here to book, continues until 3 March.

Written by a Thoroughly Modern Miss, Jenny Greenwood.