Review: Closer Than Ever at the Pheasantry

Closer Than Ever
The Pheasantry
Reviewed on Monday 25th April 2016
★★★

With it's wistful score, the melodious Closer Than Ever is a song cycle that sings achingly about the struggles of accepting adulthood. The characters we meet are in their 30s, desperately torn between the eternal abandon of youth, and the fast encroaching confinement of, responsibility, family and unease that comes with middle age. They are thrust in front of us, reflecting on past flings, second marriages and exercise fads. 

Big Interview: Nicholas Corre

Nicholas Corre is currently starring in Maltby & Shire's revue Closer Than Ever at The Pheasantry between 25th and 27th April 2016. 

Premiering in Massachusetts in 1989, Closer Than Ever soon opened off-Broadway where it played for 300 performances. It returned to New York off-Broadway in 2012 and last played London in 2014 at the Jermyn Street Theatre.

Nicholas recently starred as Harold in the first London revival of Bar Mitzvah Boy (Upstairs at the Gatehouse/Radlett Centre). His theatre credits also include The Book of Mormon (West End) and the UK premiere of Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse).

During a break from rehearsals, I recently spoke to Nicholas about anyone being able to relate to Closer Than Ever, the audience response to Bar Mitzvah Boy and what made going into The Book of Mormon so nerve-wracking. We also discussed his mum’s distinct laugh, dream roles and much more…

What were your first impressions when you heard about this production of Closer Than Ever?

I hadn’t heard of the show, but obviously I’m familiar with the writers Maltby and Shire. I frantically searched around on the internet, but there’s isn’t really anything apart from one cast recording from the 90s and a list of the songs on Wikipedia. I was going in blind! I’d worked with our MD Nick (Barstow) before, and thought it sounded like a really fun opportunity to get involved in something new and so different to what I’ve done before.

Sam Lupton & Carolyn Maitland to star in Starting Here, Starting Now; Richard Carson & Nicholas Corre cast in Closer Than Ever

Following their recently production of Kander & Ebb's The World Goes Round, Neil Eckersley Productions are producing back-to-back revivals of Maltby & Shire's revues Starting Here, Starting Now and Closer Than Ever at The Pheasantry.

Starting Here, Starting Now will run between 18th and 20th April 2016. With musical direction by Kris Rawlinson, the cast will include Sam Lupton (Wicked), WEF Award winner Carolyn Maitland (Miss Saigon, pictured) and Kayleigh McKnight (Bend It Like Beckham).

Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Grammy Award nominated revue, this brand new production explores the catalogue of emotions in romantic relationships from first kiss, to heartbreaking separation with a truly exhilarating sense of emotional urgency and spontaneity.

Big Interview: Sophie-Louise Dann

Known as one of the West End’s most talented divas, Sophie-Louise Dann is currently starring in the London revival of ​Maltby and Shire’s Closer Than Ever at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Later this year she is set to, once again, return to the cast of Forbidden Broadway at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

​The original version of Closer Than Ever premiered at the Off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre in 1989 where it became an instant hit, running for over 300 performances. New songs have been added into this revised production, directed by Maltby.

Sophie-Louise Dann recently starred as Velma in Hairspray (Curve). Last year she starred as Dot/Marie in the Théâtre du Châtelet production of Sunday in the Park with George and in 2012 she received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Diana Divane in Lend me a Tenor (Gielgud).

Her West End credits include: title role in Iolanthe, Pitti-Sing in The Mikado, Edith in Pirates Of Penzance (Carl Rosa Opera/ Gielgud), 42nd St (Dominion), Jolson (Victoria Palace), Forbidden Broadway! (Albery) and, for D’Oyly Carte Opera, Cousin Hebe in HMS Pinafore, Leila in Iolanthe, Kate in The Yeomen Of The Guard and Peep-Bo in The Mikado (Savoy).

Sophie-Louise’s theatre credits also include: Gay Daventry in Gay’s the Word (Finborough/Jermyn Street), Fairy Godmother in Cinderella (Hackney Empire), Liz Imbrie in High Society (UK Tour), Hannah in A Chorus of Disapproval (Theatr Clwyd) and Alma Hix in The Music Man, Smitty in How To Succeed… Marya Artonova in The Government Inspector, Venus in Out Of This World (Chichester Festival Theatre).

I recently spoke to Sophie-Louise about what makes Closer Than Ever such a special show, how much fun she had in Hairspray at the Curve and why she loves belting her tits off for 2,000 people...

How familiar were you with Closer Than Ever prior to your casting in this production?

It’s one of those scores which I’ve known since I was a student at Arts Ed in… I’m not going to say the date – but it was a long time ago [laughs]! ​Maltby and Shire’s work was the stuff to sing, of course we were twenty years too young to sing it. Now, all these years later, it’s thrilling to be singing it and to be directed by ​Richard ​​​​Maltby​, Jr. 

Review: Closer Than Ever at the Jermyn Street Theatre

Closer Than Ever
Jermyn Street Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 8th May 2014

It seems some people have seen Richard Maltby, Jr and David Shire's musical Closer Than Ever time and time again. Twenty-five years after its off-Broadway premiere a brand new, revised version is now receiving its European premiere at London's Jermyn Street Theatre. To make the production even more exciting, Tony Award winning Maltby has directed it himself!