Drama of sexual desire and deception gets new lease of life from Galway group

Patrick Marber’s play, Closer will be staged at the Town Hall Studio from June 5-8 in a new production from local company, Anam Theatre.

Directed by Sarah O’Toole, Closer is a savage and melodramatic exploration into the anatomy of modern romance. Set in 1990s London, the play follows Alice, a one-time stripper, and Dan, an obituary writer, who are in a relationship. Dan takes a shine to Anna, a photographer, and unwittingly sets her up with Larry, a dermatologist.

This quartet of strangers, who are adrift in a cosmopolitan world, one of computers and the internet, seek to connect but find themselves caught in a web of sexual desire and betrayal.

Closer was hailed as one of the best plays of 1990s, one that “wired itself into the cultural vocabulary in a way that few plays have ever done”, according to the London Observer. It was also made into a popular film starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts.

This production includes two well-known Galway actors. Grace Kiely, who nominated for an Irish Times award for her performance in The Mai last year and Martin Maguire, who previously appeared in Mephisto’s productions of The Honeyspike and Almost a Fantasy. Newcomers Róisín Eyres and Cormac Culkeen will also feature.

Closer’s director, Sarah O’Toole is a former member of Galway Youth Theatre and a graduate of the Gaiety School of Acting. She worked as a theatre actor in Dublin as well as appearing in the film Disco Pigs and RTÉ’s Fair City, before going on to train as a director on Middlesex University’s MA in Theatre Directing course. As part of her studies she spent time training at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow.

Since returning to Galway Sarah has been involved with Anam, which stages original, classic and modern plays.

The company is influenced by the theatre philosophy of Michael Chekhov and is “committed to exploring great writing in order to present simple, elegant and truthful work”.

As well as working with Anam, Sarah teaches beginner and specialised drama classes for adults with Galway Actors Workshop and teaches acting and playwriting at NUI.

l Closer runs from June 5 to 8 at 8.30pm in the Town Hall Theatre Studio. Tickets €15/12, available from http://tht.ie, 091 569777, or at the box office.