Interview: The Cast of ‘Closer’
When MU Drama’s sister troupe Desperate Thespians came over to perform Marber’s play ‘Closer,’ we were kindly offered the opportunity to not only review the performance, but to interview the actors. We did so right before the show, while the cast was in full wardrobe. We spoke with Robin Hauschild-Nöcker, who played Larry, the doctor, and Celina Schulte, who played Anna, the photographer.
Jenson: So, you guys are from Germany?
Celina: Yes.
Robin: I think so.
J: Whereabouts?
C: We are from Siegen, which is an hour away from Cologne.
J: Never been, would you recommend it?
R: Siegen itself?
C: No, Cologne maybe.
R: It depends. It’s [developing] itself.
C: They are putting in a lot of effort to make the city more attractive to students and you can really see that it has paid off.
J: What do you guys think about Maynooth?
R: Oh, it’s wonderful! We are here now for the second time, we were here two years ago and we really look forward to be here again. It is always more interesting to be abroad.
J: How do you guys feel before going up on stage?
C: Actually, quite fine. We are both not the kind of people that get really nervous, but if you would ask one of our co–actors…
R: He’s a walking cack attack.
C: He would get a heart attack!
J: (There is a wine bottle on the table) Is that what the wine is for?
C: No, that’s a prop for stage
R: Just blackcurrant with water.
J: Still nice nonetheless. What would you say to anyone who wants to go on stage but feels too nervous?
R: Don’t be nervous, just do it, just let it run through you.
C: Exactly, and we always have to remember that it takes more courage to actually go on stage and do something than most people have. Most people are already impressed with you, if you just do something.
J: I think it’s pretty brave, I don’t think I’ll be doing it tonight anyway.
R: You won’t really feel it, because it’s just such a blur once your upstage…
J: Did you do anything special to prepare for your roles?
R: For this one or in general?
J: In general, I suppose. Have you done anything outlandish to get into the mind of your character?
R: I dressed up as a woman. Last year, not this year. This year, it would be weird.
C: Very, very weird.
R: I mean, this process is not just one thing you do, it’s a chain of things. Because, either you get into the role, or because the producers recommend it to us.
J: Finally, do you think you’d like your character if you met them in real life?
R: No. No. No.
C: No. Hard no, I guess for all of us. Our characters are basically an example for how not to do a relationship.
R: I mean, They’re human. They are different scales of grey, but everyone is fucking toxic.
C: I mean, you also have to remember, this play is from the 90s so, the morals are a bit off, nowadays.
J: What would you say if you bumped into them in the street?
R: I would like to get a restraining order. I mean, I want to trust my doctor, and the only way I can trust them is by definitely not knowing them at all.
J: (There is a cigarette pack in his left breast pocket of his doctor's coat) Does your doctor have a packet of cigarettes?
R: I mean, he’s going to be out for a crafty smoke.
J: I’m afraid that’s all the questions we have time for, but thank you for your time, guys.
R: You're welcome!
C: You're welcome!
‘Closer’ (1997), written by British playwright Patrick Marber, a, plunges the audience into the lives of four characters living in London, at the end of the 20th century. There's Alice, an extroverted American stripper living in England. Dan, an obituarist, who wants to author a novel. Anna, a blunt, but intoxicating photographer, and Larry, a boastful dermatologist. The play follows the cast as they navigate honesty, relationships and intensity in this emotionally charged work. The characters get passed around within different relationship dynamics, chasing something they don’t quite understand. It has an almost psychological quality as we ponder why these four people act the way they do, and attempt to understand their minds, their actions, and morals.