Closer at Chapel off Chapel

The best way to describe Closer is that it’s a slow burner. It requires the audience’s close attention and investment throughout its duration but, oh, is it worth it.

The first act dedicates itself to the interconnections between the four characters who are drawn to one another through their duplicity and mirrored flaws.

Initially, I was not enamoured by the first act; in fact, reflecting on words that I thought I’d use in my review to describe it I came up with ‘lack lustre’. The pace was slow and the characters felt distant so I continued to question who they were and what motivated them. I was disappointed when the curtain fell and a second act was announced.

But do stay with me.

Unexpectedly, the second act was utterly compelling. And it was then that I realised the first act spends much of the time setting up important themes and plot twists that are integral to this play blossoming into a truly wonderful piece of theatre.

I walked out of Chapel on Chapel feeling enriched for the experience.

There are many interesting elements to this play. One in particular is the absence of the apotheosis of truth. In fact, truth and deception are on an equal playing field in this play so that neither acts to satisfy the characters nor engender cartharsis. The characters are then left to oscillate between needing and detesting both qualities, which is quite exciting to watch.

Because what is apparent is that the characters are deeply flawed. In opposition to what I originally thought, we don’t need to know why they are; the play is much more concerned with the ordinariness of love and lust. For example, when Anna confesses to Larry that she has been unfaithful, Larry dances around the question of why and, instead, becomes obsessed with the petty details of the sex: did she enjoy it; where did they do it; did she come?

The performances in this play are restrained. Again, I thought this was to the detriment of the piece but then understood that this was necessary to ensure that the ordinariness of the characters were not overwhelmed by ebullient performances, which demonstrates great direction.

Well done to a cast who doesn’t miss a beat. This play has not garnered accolades for no reason. It’s an exceptionally clever, tragic and sometimes droll dissection of the human condition showcasing how disappointing love can be sometimes.