PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

"Closer"
PURE PERFORMANCE

The translation of any play to the screen invariably makes for a different style of cinema. The outcome is mostly a story focused on concepts and ideas, for plays are inevitably driven by dialogue and not action. Patrick Marber's play "Closer" is no exception. Here the screenplay has been written by the playwright himself and it appears that Mike Nichols has chosen to simply translate the play to the screen, not interpret it or adapt it. Mike Nichols has chosen a very simple cinematic style which places the emphasis on the actors and not the camera to carry the story.

This is a film in which characters constantly confront the difficulties life imposes on them and talk these difficulties through.

This is cinema in which performance capabilities are centre stage.

And it's a great film for actors to watch. It's great because we see the essential fundamentals of performance being constantly exploited to the full. This is a film where text and direction have left no room for performance tricks. The actors have to get on with doing the job and they have to do it well. All the characters are demanding and all the performances are well worth watching.

Here the actors deliver turning points in scenes not by telling us they have changed their minds but because we know that a character is now thinking differently. We know this because we experience the change. There is never a sense that the actor is showing us the sensation of their experience. They are all DOING IT - making the choices, finding the impulses that drive the responses and dealing with the outcome of their choices. These characters have hopes, expectations and needs. And the actors use these ingredients to drive their listening and their choices. Consequently moments where nothing is being said frequently carry major developments of plot.

On top of this, "Closer" is not an easy story to deliver. To provide the circumstances that will allow the play to explore the concepts that interest him Patrick Marber forces twists and turns onto the plot that in the hands of a lesser writer could be incredibly clichéd. The same difficulties confront the actors. The result is a boldly, challenging and thought provoking story that brilliantly reflects the times. It is an intelligent and often not very pretty exploration of love, sex and relationships and it is this kind of story, direction and performance that The Rehearsal Room finds exhilarating. It is highly recommended viewing.

NATALIE PORTMAN - Alice; JUDE LAW - Dan; JULIA ROBERTS - Anna; CLIVE OWEN - Larry.

February 2005

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