BWW Reviews: Vintage Theatre Presents a Fascinating Ensemble Study in CLOSER

I was pleasantly surprised of the amazing performances in this production and the titillating web that this show weaves to completely captivate the audience. This show is chalk full of emotional drama, but also witty banter and humor. I can see why this play garnered multiple awards and Hollywood was chomping at the bit to make it into a movie with an all-star cast. This show builds up from the slow and seductive dialogue in the first scene, into great awkward tension and intensity. The computer chat scene was absolutely hilarious and the aquarium first meeting scene between Larry and Anna was touching and humorous. I was fabulous to witness the multiple, almost incestuous intersections of these characters lives with each other. All good things come to an end and the break ups of both couples was a mass of raw intense energy. While I did appreciate the contrast of the two endings, I felt like the break-up of Alice and Dan was a little too reserved and polite. The confrontation of Larry and Anna, however was awesome and brought out the excellent performances of both of these fine actors. Overall it made for a great and satisfying ending to Act One. The strip club scene in the beginning of Act Two drew the audience right back into the plot and this scene was seductive and full of sexuality overshadowed by sadness all at the same time. The confrontations of both the men and the women was full of bitterness and vicious stabs and the audience was enthralled by the boxing match of words. Unfortunately, the play as written seemed to run out of steam and ended more on a whimper rather than the roar that we experienced in Act One. I must say that each character had wonderful developmental arch that featured the talents of each actors. "Pleasure and self-destruction...the perfect poison," completely encompasses the thrust of this story. Overall, these stunning performances made this show completely worth it.

Erica Fox was truly exceptional as the secretive seductress Alice and showed such range. From her first steamy scene to watching her peel back the layers to expose her true emotions, Erica brought such differentiation to this memorable character. I also loved the thoughtful control of her accent that was always coherent and spot on. This is my first time seeing Erica Fox onstage and I will make sure it is not the last.. Haley Johnson was also stunning in her rich performance as Anna. It was the intensity of her facial features and reactions that were most noticeable and wonderful to watch. Her entire performance showed great contrast and range and she commanded the audience. Casey Andree was good quite accomplished as Dan, but I wanted more diversity and intensity in his role. The breakup scenes always felt a little too polite for my tastes and I had a hard time connecting with his character, but he did have several outstanding moments that proved that he is a good actor. I thoroughly enjoyed Eric Mather's performance as Larry. His entire performance showed a grounded strength throughout and he developed an excellent character arch. His anguished self-torture, especially in Act Two was quite interesting and captivated the audience. I must also commend the entire ensemble for connected so well together and enhancing each other's performances! Job well done!

This show about intersecting characters, plots, and scenes was right up talented Bernie Cardell's directing artistry. This show featured some of his genius creative styles including seamless fluid transitions, elevated acting performances, and sensational blocking of multiple scenes being performed onstage at the same time. He really took his time with this production and accentuated these stunning performances and brought us a great evening of theater! The set design by Tim Barbiaux was really quite inventive and I loved the art work which was an abstract reflection of the intersecting plots with blocks in the road. I also love the transformation into the doctor's office and bedroom that literally popped out of the backdrop. The lighting (by designer Vance McKenzie) and sound (by Luke Allen Terry) enhanced this visual set quite nicely.

This is a wonderfully crafted and executed ensemble drama and was absolutely fascinating to watch! Vintage Theatre's CLOSER is enthralling audiences now through July 21st. For tickets of more information, contact the box office at by calling 303-856-7830 or online at www.vintagetheatre.com. Vintage Theatre is located at 1468 Dayton Street in Aurora, CO.

PHOTO CREDIT: Denver MindMedia