Like most radical movements, this one puts everything else in new perspective. Accomplished new plays by old masters like David Hare and Tom Stoppard seem a bit dowdy. Now at the Royal National Theater of Great Britain, it begins an open-ended commercial run in March. The characters search for closeness in lap-dance clubs and cybersex, the latter dramatized with arresting explicitness on an onstage screen. Through it all, nobody reveals who he really is.
Every meeting offers a new chance for self-invention.
One woman adds an element of danger, whispering sweet nothings to strangers while stepping out in front of speeding cars. Ruthlessly, Closer gets to the heart of modern emotional deficit syndrome, an idea well served by a sexy cast of interchangeable couples including Liza Walker, Mark Strong, Neil Dudgeon and Sally Dexter. Written by Mark Ravenhill, this tale of lost Gen-X souls begins with a man vomiting. Their overwhelming emotional needs and petulance frequently result in noisy though affecting confrontations among themselves as well as with a quirky drug dealer who weeps when recounting the plot of The Lion King. Still, I look forward to Ravenhill's next play, since he writes characters who give actors much to work with and great license for interpretation.