Warning: Sexually Explicit Content: The language of Marber’s play is brutal and sexually explicit.
Dungarvan Town Hall Theatre Wednesday, 8th – Saturday, 11th February (8pm nightly)
So said The Guardian of Marber’s play when it ran in London in 2015. Closer originally opened in London in 1997 and quickly became an international sensation, with Marber described as “the finest dramatist of his generation.”
Set in the 1990s, the play opens with Dan, a young aspiring novelist (currently working as an obituarist) taking Alice, a self-described waif who has been hit by a taxi, to hospital. They chat – and flirt – as they wait to be seen by a doctor. Larry, a dermatologist briefly inspects her leg and leaves. The scene ends with Alice calling in “sick” for Dan so the two can spend the day together.
A year and a half later, Dan is on the verge of publishing a book based on Alice’s past as a stripper. He meets Anna, a photographer hired to take his headshot for publicity, and becomes obsessed with her, despite the fact that he has been in a relationship with Alice since they met (having left his girlfriend Ruth for Alice).
What transpires thereafter is a complicated, often brutal story of love, lust, betrayal, duplicity, infidelity, deception, and jealousy. Constantly seeking love and truth, all of the deeply damaged characters are quite unable to handle either.
A Brave Choice This is a brave choice of play for Curtain Call Productions Dungarvan. The small cast is exposed as never before. Portraying these four damaged characters involves sexually explicit language and raw emotion. But the cast of four (Megan Marriott, Kris Cowming, Aaron Cowming, and Emma Walsh) have thrown themselves into their roles under the skilled direction of Fidelma Meaney, and the result is sure to thrill audiences.
Although hard-hitting, raw, and emotional, Closer is also intriguing, humorous, and thought-provoking. A great night of drama is in store for audiences. The staging is quite different to our “usual,” as Closer is a very technical play, with projection & lighting pivotal to the overall effect (thanks to Dirk Baumann for the Trojan work he has put in!)
Venue: Dungarvan Town Hall Theater, St. Augustine Street, Dungarvan
Tickets: €13 – on sale in The Wine Buff, Grattan Square, Dungarvan (058-24523) and Joe Kelly’s Pharmacy, Abbeyside (058-44433).
Group discounts available for groups of 10+ (contact – ccpdungarvan@hotmail.com to arrange).
Warning: Sexually Explicit Content: The language of Marber’s play is brutal and sexually explicit.