Closer Than Ever
- Krissy Dorn
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
Emotional Rollercoaster
Review by Rolf-Rüdiger Hamacher in musical-today.de
The rarely performed song revue “Closer Than Ever” tells many small stories
The musical "Closer Than Ever" by David Shire (music) and Richard Maltby, Jr. (lyrics) originated from a one-hour cabaret evening in New York's Greenwich Village artists' district. It premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts in 1989, then conquered Off-Broadway. The German premiere took place in Hamburg in 2010, followed by Gelsenkirchen (2011) and Hildesheim (2017) – until now, when Frank Oppermann, the energetic artistic director of the Kleinen Theater Bad Godesberg, remembered this gem of musical history.
"Jewel Box Musical Theater" is also the name of the theater company based in the Netherlands and Cologne, which has come to Bonn after its premiere in our neighboring country and – as it did last year with the cheerful musical revue "Starting Here, Starting Now" by the same author couple – is once again bringing a touch of Broadway to the Rhine. Last year's trio of Krissy Dorn (soprano), John Rinaldi (tenor), and Merel Zeeman (mezzo-soprano) is joined by Cologne musical performer Mariano Skroce (baritone). And let's just say this: Their well-tempered voices complement each other wonderfully. The creative team, including director Heike Werntgen, musical director Frans Heemskerk, and pianist Maarten Helsloot, is also back.
And so we experience four nameless friends who gather in an unknown city in the apartment of their recently divorced classmate for a 25-year high school reunion. In the background of the sparse stage set—after all, at this open-air event, the audience has to quickly move to the neighboring theater in the event of a downpour—photos of former friends and life partners hang on a clothesline. The 23 songs offer a rollercoaster of emotions, from exuberant to boredom, annoyed, dreamy to angry and cynical. Performed as solos, duets, trios, and quartets, always accompanied with emphatic verve by Maarten Helsloot's keyboard skills. The music ranges from romantic musical ballads to jazz, fandango sounds, and 70s disco sounds.
The audience is immersed in the heartbreaking emotions of a man lamenting his unrequited love, while she is attracted to a man who has just come out ("She Loves Me Not"). There's a hilarious treatise on the sexual behavior of humans and animals ("The Bear, The Tiger, The Hamster and The Mole") and sexy songs like "Miss Byrd," in which Merel Zeeman can indulge her clownish qualities. And, of course, plenty of midlife crises and relationship woes – until new, hopeful paths open up with the finale: "Closer Than Ever."
The ensemble, under the precise direction of Heike Werntgen, enthusiastically performs, and their authentic acting repeatedly invites you to identify with the characters and their problems. You then spin the missing (plot) thread yourself and surrender completely to the wonderful songs. This also helps you cope with the small drop of bitterness that falls into this musical cup of joy: German surtitles for the English-sung performance would certainly attract even more viewers.
Music direction: Frans Heemskerk • Cast: Merel Zeeman, Krissy Dorn, John Rinaldi, Mariano Skroce • Piano: Maarten Helsloot
Photos: Patric Prager – die Prager Botschaft
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