Earlier this week as cast and crew of IS Productions’ presentation of Patrick Marber’s Closer were preparing for their Friday, February 16 opening, I had the chance to chat with all four cast members about their respective characters, Marber’s though-provoking play and various aspects of love and relationships for the latest installment of my recurring interview feature, Rapid Fire 20Q. What follows are those conversations:
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RAPID FIRE 20Q WITH THE CAST OF IS PRODUCTION’S CLOSER
RAPID FIRE WITH CLOSER’s ANGELA GIMLIN
JHPENTERTAINMENT: While Nashville audiences have delighted for years in Inebriated Shakespeare’s barbs at The Bard, Closer marks the debut of Inebriated Shakespeare Productions’ aka IS Productions’ foray into traditional theatrical presentations. How excited are you to expand into this new endeavor?
ANGELA GIMLIN: VERY! IS Productions is the answer to a theater market saturated with incredibly safe and conventional shows. And while there is nothing wrong with that, more challenging, original and gritty shows are needed. I see more and more of it coming from Tennessee Playwright’s Studio, The Destiny Theater Experience, Women in Theater and others. I hope IS Productions will hold up with the ringleaders and call me- we’re happy to collaborate!
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Researching to chat with you and your cast mates, I ran across an interview with Closer playwright Patrick Marber in which he describes it as a play about sex, love, loneliness and the need we all have to find a mate. What would you add to that?
ANGELA GIMLIN: Closer is certainly about that on the surface. It’s also about the exploration of these four people, who really aren’t good people, and how they handle romance, love, infidelity, dishonesty, and serious physical attraction. They’re all extraordinarily duplicitous and wreak havoc on one another’s emotions.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: You play Anna. What can you tell me about her?
ANGELA GIMLIN: Anna never knows what she wants. Just when you think she’s decided on something, she waivers. When creating her back story, I sort of found a woman with some unhealthy emotional tendencies that have manifested into an emotionally wishy washy adult.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: The show is being directed by Kurt Jarvis. What do you enjoy most about working with him at the helm of the project?
ANGELA GIMLIN: Kurt is a very open director and wants you to create and delve deeply into your character. But, he also pushes you- a lot. All he has to do is tell you that he needs more and somehow, you find it in yourself to give him that. He’s also supportive, relaxed and accepting of how his actors move the show.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Marber originally set Closer in 1990s London. Have you kept the setting the same or have you changed it?
ANGELA GIMLIN: We are still in jolly old England, but have set it in 2024. Marber’s script could honestly (and probably is) happening right now in reality somewhere in the world. It is very much a modern tale.
RAPID FIRE WITH CLOSER’s BRITT BYRD
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Who is Alice to you?
BRITT BYRD: To me, Alice is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope deconstructed. She’s often used as a mirror upon which the other characters project their insecurities, desires, pitfalls and progressions, but what she inevitably reflects back at them are some pretty brutal truths about their understanding of love, sex, and intimacy. And in her own pathological lying, I think she’s actually the most forthright of the foursome.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: It’s been a minute since I’ve seen you onstage. You gotta know I was thrilled when I heard you were part of this show. Are you enjoying this production?
BRITT BYRD: I’m thrilled to be back! This production has been such a fun exercise of muscles I worried were beginning to atrophy pre- and post-pandemic. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to stretch my legs again.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Alice, like the rest of the characters in the show, is involved with more than one person. Since no one reads my interviews, spill it…Have you ever juggled more than one romance at the same time?
BRITT BYRD: I was quite reckless in my 20s, yeah. But who wasn’t in one way or another? I learned a lot of hard but valuable lessons from sabotaging my own happiness in those days, and I like to think I’ve grown up a lot since then, so I cut Alice a lot of slack for her mistakes.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Can you describe each of your costars by using a single word each?
BRITT BYRD: Jeremy = Daring. Ross = Steady. Angela = Warm.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: What’s the easiest way to get Closer to you?
BRITT BYRD: Tell me the difficult but necessary truth. Oh, and ice cream cake.
RAPID FIRE WITH CLOSER’s ROSS CANALES
JHPENTERTAINMENT: What is your favorite aspect of Dan, the character you play in Closer?
ROSS CANALES: Dan truly thinks he is in pursuit of true love. Unfortunately, he falls into the trap of “the grass is always greener on the other side”, but he genuinely wants to find true love to fill a void in his heart.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Were you familiar with the play prior to auditioning?
ROSS CANALES: I was not familiar with the play at all. Before accepting the role, I had to do a deep dive into the story to get a good understanding of what it would take to portray Dan.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Can you tell me the plot of Closer in ten words or less?
ROSS CANALES: Deception and distrust lead to relationship failure and worse.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: There are some very intense scenes in Closer. How do you prepare for such somber moments in the script?
ROSS CANALES: Preparing for the more intense scenes I really have to find private space to clear my mind and focus on being intentional with my emotion. Never having to deal with some moments like these in real life, I need the time in my own head to find a time in my life where I may have felt a similar emotion that could be used. If that isn’t enough, I try to find empathy for a person I know who has gone through something similar.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Seeing as how we’re just coming off Valentine’s Day, and Closer revolves around multiple relationships…What was the worst date you ever planned?
ROSS CANALES: The worse date I ever planned was back when I was in high school. I planned a movie date at a theater in a nearby town. I had dinner planned for after the movie, I bought flowers, and had a desert spot in mind. I showed up early to wait for my date who never came. I called her to ask if she was still planning to come. Turns out she was at a different movie theater that had a similar name 45 minutes away from where I was. Turns out, she was on a date with another guy and used that as the excuse. Oh, the drama of high school dating!
RAPID FIRE WITH CLOSER’s JEREMY JAMES CARMICHAEL
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Who is Larry to you?
JEREMY JAMES CARMICHAEL: Larry is all of us. He’s earnest in his attempts to make real connections, but his insecurities are cloaked in hyper-masculinity. He repeatedly misfires in his efforts to win people over; he’s fueled by his need for intimacy even when immediate gratification seems more exciting. He’s a dynamic character with redeeming qualities, though; the arc of the play explores his evolution from brute to prince via a charming series of setbacks.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Is there an aspect of Larry that you see in your own personality, whether good or bad?
JEREMY JAMES CARMICHAEL: Well… Larry and I look a lot alike. But in regards to personalities I hope people would see us as opposites; Larry is quick to put himself first, use others to get what he wants, and (in the beginning) has yet to learn how his actions and words affect those around him. He’s a middle-school boy in a man’s body. He is, however, charming and funny… handsome… very talented. It’s a real quandary as to where Larry stops and Jeremy starts. Ha!
JHPENTERTAINMENT: If you could play one of the other roles in the show, regardless of whether you fit the ‘type’ or not, who would it be and why?
JEREMY JAMES CARMICHAEL: It would be interesting to see a gender-bender version of Closer, and I’d like to play… Alex, the male version of Alice. She is by far the most complex character in the show. And I think Britt has done such a phenomenal job creating that character that there’s no way I could ever replicate her delivery, so I’d have to employ a completely different technique. That, and I spend an hour a day on the stairclimber so I could make good use of the stripper scene and why else am I doing all this work.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Closer is being presented at the Annex on the second floor above Third Coast Comedy Club. What’s the advantage of presenting this particular show in such an intimate space?
JEREMY JAMES CARMICHAEL: This show should ONLY be done in small, intimate spaces; the play is about the characters, their energy, their passions and their disappointments. The feelings are raw, and that translates better to an audience sitting so close. The audience is really a part of these character’s lives, and the smaller space allows you to feel uncomfortable watching the story; and all good art should make you feel uncomfortable at times.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: You’re my last cast member to chat with for this Rapid Fire 20Q, so you get my usual final question….What do you hope audiences will remember long after having seen Closer?
JEREMY JAMES CARMICHAEL: I love a story that asks more questions than it answers; I think so much theater is formulaic that shows can become stagnant. The plot points go through the same expected litany of action and the resolution puts a nice bow on the ending. Closer shatters expectations and really forces audiences to ask: who are these characters, really? who is the villain? what are we willing to do for love? when is it OK to break the rules? what sacrifices are worth it in getting what you want? These are tough questions that Closer doesn’t answer, but may help you think about in new light.
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If you’re interested in getting Closer to the characters in IS Productions’ premiere presentation, CLICK HERE. Closer opens at The Annex at Third Coast (1310 Clinton Street, Nashville, 37203—second floor) Friday, February 16 with performances continuing Saturday, February 17 and again the following week on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24. All performances begin at 7p.m. For more information or to keep up with what’s next for IS Productions and Inebriated Shakespeare, check them out on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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