Patrick Marber’s Closer, produced by the University of Louisiana—Lafayette’s Department of Performing Arts at Fletcher Hall Auditorium is not a theatrical version on the well-known television program. It is a witty and biting dissection of what passes for romance in the modern era. It is for mature audiences. It succeeds as piece of art because it allows one to look to the lives of others and perhaps realize something meaningful to one’s own life. As Marber himself notes, he is “not concerned with the “good” or “bad” here, nor in passing judgment on the characters. This is what they said. This is what they did. How they behaved is really none of my business. The audience will see them as they like, and may well disagree with each other, but hopefully they’ll recognize something true.” Marber’s play won much recognition: the Olivier Award in London, The New York Critics Award, and two Tony nominations. UL-L’s presentation was up to that proud lineage.
It is characters and how they are brought to live by first-time director Sarah Gauthier that brings the show to life (and to what passes for love). The four-character ensemble plays their roles superbly both as individuals and in various pairing. No individual ever dominates. Allison Barron (Anna) and Sarah Hitchcock (Alice) play the female half of the relationships wonderfully, while Hunter Burke (Dan) and Blaine Peltier (Larry) play the male half strongly. As Anna, Barron is artistic, sophisticated, and yet vulnerable. She evokes sympathy throughout. Hitchcock’s Alice is common, dependent, wounded and simply “disarming.” Burke’s Dan, an “obit writer” comes full circle in the story. At first reserved, then dynamic, later wounded, and then reserved again, he evokes the fantasies (real and unreal) of many a man. His is the opening and the closing. Peltier’s Larry (a doctor in the story) is loud, bombastic, selfish, and yet sympathetic. He plays the part with bravado!
The emotions this group evokes are diverse. What are they so sad about? Love--or what passes for it. What happens in the course of the story? At the end, the characters are not so innocent anymore. Everyone says loving things to everyone. But they find that falling in love, not being in love, is what is addictive. After all of the humor, the arguments, the electricity, the excitement, the sad comment is “What do you have to do to get intimacy?” The greatness of this particular show, and the staging at UL-L, is that the characters--all of them—hurt, and make the audience hurt for and with them. By the end, it is not cartoon characters on stage; it is the real people for whom the audience can care. Little more can be asked from a night’s entertainment.
Production values are high. Jenna Fontenot’s set is minimalist, but invokes a strong sense of place. The set focuses attention on the characters rather than on itself. Meagan Mod’s choreography of the opening of Act II develops Alice’s character as much as her words do. And, again, Sarah Gauthier’s direction was right-on. The accents were consistently British, but not intrusive. Silence, touches and the lack thereof carried the real meanings as much as the words. Even the typing on a computer was done in character. The lighting, the music, the costumes focused attention on the characters and their development.
A word of warning: The language, the situations, the discussions are for mature adult audiences with strong adult content. Much would be “bleeped” on the airwaves! However nothing untoward “goes on” onstage. A thank you: In all of the publicity I saw concerning the play that was perfectly clear, and appropriate warnings (wisely) restricted the show to 17 years old and over! This show only plays two more night, May 9 and 10. If you are interested in a moving, thoughtful experience, by all means see it.
--Donald "Doc" Voorhies
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