Review: CLOSER at Open Door Rep: An Intimate Show in an Intimate Location

If your theatre doesn't have a home base, it can be difficult to find places to perform your shows. Sometimes it means finding a new place to perform. This can be both challenging and exciting at the same time. Now imagine a theatre that does this for every show. That would be Open Door Rep. They find new spaces for each show as their mission is to be accessible both financially and demographically. Their current show "Closer" by Patrick Marber, which plays through April 20, is both accessible financially with a $12 ticket price, and demographically by being held at Main Frame Studios. One of the great things about this location is that it is an art studio. While at the show, take a look at all the beautiful art that lines the hallways.

"Closer" is a provocative 4 person show that looks at what people lust and long for in their relationships. The show starts with Dan and Alice, played respectively by Charlie Reese and Emily Davis, at a local hospital. Alice is sitting in a hospital with Dan, an obituary writer, after taking her to the hospital to be seen after witnessing her being hit by a taxi. She is seen by a dermatologist named Larry. A year later, we find out Alice and Dan are now in a relationship and he has written a book about her past life as a stripper. Getting ready to publish the book, he goes to a photographer named Anna, who is taking his picture for his book. Over the next two hours, we see their relationships cross, and in the end we are left looking at how their actions have affected each other's lives.

Walking into the space, you see just a few set pieces throughout the room. What I appreciated is that the chairs and couches used during the show were set up in a way that made it feel like the actors could have easily been part of the audience. It helped draw me as an audience member into the show from the very beginning. I was a little concerned as I sat down that I might have difficulty seeing, but the way director Marnie Strate staged the show, I didn't feel as though I missed seeing anything. The best use of the studio was in Act 2. There was a scene that she staged behind a sheet with the actor's shadows projected by a pink light. I found the staging of this scene to be a very artistic way of setting the location without having to do a big set change

Some of the best performances I've seen, have been when people who are usually backstage venture onstage. Megan Helmers, whose work recently has been directing and choreographing, ventures onto the stage as Anna, a photographer. I found this to be very fitting as she didn't just react to what was happening, she let the audience see why her character was reacting the way she was. This was especially true at the end of act 1 where her character goes through different emotions.

Acting opposite of her in this scene was Josh Visnapuu, who had one of the most difficult roles in the show. He accomplished one of the most difficult tasks an actor can take on by changing the way you feel about his character throughout the show. I found went from feeling sorry for his character at the beginning of the show, to almost hating his character at the end. Josh knew where the line was with this character and how close he could get with every action the character took. By knowing this, he knew how far he could take the character without you completely hating the character in the end.

Both Charlie Reese and Emily Davis do an amazing job at bringing their characters of Dan and Alice to life. They bring out the turmoil between their characters as their relationship blossoms and falls apart at different times throughout the show. The way they balance their characters' emotions is the glue that brings each of the amazing pieces of the show together.

This is just a taste of what you can expect to see when you go to Open Door Rep's production of "Closer." The show continues performances through April 20. Due to limited seating at the performance space, tickets must be purchased in advance. With tickets only being $12 it is probably the most affordable night of entertainment you can get in Des Moines. To purchase tickets to "Closer," visit https://www.opendoorrep.com/tickets

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