OBSERVER: Closer
For the staging of Closer, The 1812 Théatre opened their door to Avid Theatre, founded in 2011 by Michale Finnemore as an independent platform for innovative work for theatre and festivals.
English playwright Patrick Marber penned the work for premiere in 1997, then later he adapted it for the film of the same name in 2014.
Four people pursue love, several romances evolve, however the characters swap partners frequently with a liberal use of the word ‘f’. Perhaps more than expected. Yes, the play is about sex and lust, with a mix of love and lies.
Alice meets Dan, Anna meets Larry and with the attraction to the other’s partner we had lying, betrayal, indulgence all creating high emotional tensions.
Larry is a doctor played by the director, Michael Finnemore who meets Alice played by Abby Pettigrew, who with a leg injury is brought into Larry’s surgery by Dan played by Tim Cox. Larry, who we thought to be a respectable English Doctor in his white coat, has overtly sexual desires, be it fantasy or indulgence.
Alice is a stripper and fragile, finding she doesn’t love Dan anymore, while Anna played by Kate Lawson, a photographer, seeks Larry to sign their divorce papers.
Nothing is straightforward with many twists and turns and while there were some comedic moments, one being an internet sex chat line with Dan tricking Larry into a very explicit sexual exchange as ‘Anna’ that reveals Larry as being sexually aggressive and emotionally exposed.
Staging was aided by well produced Audio Visuals giving insight to the scene locations such as Anna’s Studio, the Surgery, the Strip Club and much more. Impressive was the original music Avid had commissioned that heightened expectations during scene changes.
Emotionally draining performances by Kate, Abby and Tim were well crafted in meeting the demands of the script.
I am very cautious of directors being actors in the same work and actors being directors in the same work. Michael’s performance level varied greatly and bar the unnecessary high shouting and some poor costuming, he did play the sex obsessive Doctor with veracity. An interesting choice of production by 1812 Theatre.
Review by Graeme McCoubrie