Theatre / Reviews
Review: Closer Each Day 100th Episode
With 18 characters, two live musicians, one director and no script, this 100th episode (and season 11 closer) was a celebration of the improvisational talent that has made Closer Each Day, the Wardrobe Theatre’s brilliant unscripted soap opera, so popular since May 2011.
The first half sets the scene: unpopular hotel owner Simpkins (Sean Duffy) is in a coma being visited by Newtown’s strange and eccentric citizens. As the big decision about whether or not to switch off his machine approaches, the characters agree to hold a democratic vote – and so the referendum is born.
Other plot lines emerge: there’s Gina and Scarlet renaming their pub, helped along by pints of Archers; salesman Billy being wooed by Simpkins’ predatory wife Rita (Lucy Harrington); and former troupe member Alice Lamb memorably working posthumously as Judith the administrator at the pearly gates.
There are hints of the fun scenes we’ve come to expect, like two couples accidentally meeting for a hilariously sexually charged picnic, along with a number of soliloquies. After the interval the action really picks up pace, and there are some fantastically off-beat moments – like Fred Gonzalez (Andrew Kingston) announcing a surprise transplant for Simpkins resulting in their personalities changing bodies.
The humour works best when the performers really let their imaginations fly: when tough Big Dick Johnson, played by the silver-tongued John Lomas, riffs on a salad theme at Simpkins’ bedside, or Sazz (Emma Keaveney-Roys) muses amusingly on reincarnation.
The finale is the referendum result. Simpkins makes a surprise commitment to leave behind his selfish ways and commit himself to the community, and the whole cast join together in a choral tribute led by Lindsey Garwood as Constance Sugar. But the last line goes to Lomas, master of one-liners, and the audience erupts in delight in homage to the huge popularity of this cast.
With plans to renovate Bristol’s own improvised theatre (#BuildTheBIT) into the first purpose-built space in the country, improvised theatre in Bristol is set to go from strength to strength.
Season 12 of Closer Each Day begins at the Wardrobe Theatre on Monday, September 5. For more info, visit www.thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/closer-each-day-the-improvised-soap-opera
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