Rush Theatre presents Patrick Marber’s famous play, Closer, with clarity and sensitivity, but it sadly lacks in the palpable vigor of passion. Closer tells of the intimate and messy romances of four strangers, providing us with a trenchant view on love, sex, lies, and trust.
Performances throughout are earnest and thoroughly believable. Dan’s transformation from gawky, awkward obituary writer to conceited novelist and infatuated fool is authentic and subtly delivered. Larry is endearing and yet blunt and gruff; Alice is petite, childlike and vivacious; and Anna is an elegant and poised counterpoint. The chemistry within the cast is evident and dialogue flowed with a natural ease and charm. However, the pace sometimes got too comfortable and lacked dynamic progression. At best the pace is sharp, swift and witty, fitting for Marber’s staccato dialogue.
Marber’s play requests minimal set and Rush Theatre complies with two dark benches and a stage block that are used economically and symbolically, achieving an isolation of the characters unfettered by set. Equally, the quirks of Marber’s play - the jumps in time, the condensed scenes - are dealt with well. For example, when two different but related scenes occur simultaneously the dialogues are fluid and actress Chi-San Howard skilfully slides from one scene to the other without magnifying the sense of fragmentation.
An original addition to the direction is found in the intriguing use of physical symbolism. Mirrored, repeated gestures draw out the underlying feelings and the hidden subtext of flirtatious first meetings and intimate exchanges. These moments could have been more marked, however, as they sometimes appeared to be non-committal or unpolished, rather than conscious directorial decisions.
Rush Theatre describes itself as ‘high octane, blood pumping, physical theatre’. In fact I found this piece lacking in palpable energy, particularly in the short dance sequences that filled transitions or punctuated key moments. At some points the movement was beautiful, tender and sensitive, but there was far more scope for revealing the rougher passions and unspoken ambiguities of Marber’s text with greater energy and fervor.
