Closet Land: The Stage Play Review

 There was something undeniably creepy about ‘Closet Land – The Stage Play’. Something inherently sinister and altogether eerie, though incredibly eye opening and dramatic.  As soon as I settled into my seat in the cosy Adelaide Bakehouse Theatre and the play begun, I closed my eyes and ears to the outside world and immersed myself into the story. A young children’s author is dragged out of her bed in the middle of the night and accused of embedding political allegory into her manuscript, Closet Land, where a young girl is locked in a cupboard and befriended by her clothes who magically spring to life and befriend her. Tormented and tortured until the interrogator literally beats a confession out of her, the woman eventually reveals the story is merely a tool of escapism used as a coping mechanism to deal with the past trauma of childhood abuse. 

 

  Growling Grin’s production of ‘Closet Land’ is a gritty, confronting play based on the 1991 cult classic debut by the same name. With a simplistic set and characters without names, the play illustrates a realistic scenario that could occur at any time, in any place, and in any country. Benjamin Orchard, who plays the interrogator, is chillingly sinister, where Melissa Rayner, portraying the victim, is both doe-eyed and fiercely unrelenting. Orchard, who has starred in titles such as Marlowe’s ‘Faust’, whodunit play ‘A Party To Murder’, and pot-apocalyptic sci-fi parable ‘Obernewtyn’ was born to play this role, with his uncanny knack to convince the audience that he really wants to physically and psychologically torture newcomer Rayner, who’s background is mainly focused in the visual arts. Despite Rayner’s lack of acting experience, one would assume she had starred in previous productions, as her courage and conviction certainly sent just as many chills down my spine as Orchard did.

First-time director Olivia Jane Parker certainly put a lot of gusto into the production, creating a nail biting, hair-raising atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire 80-minute gruelling and jaw-dropping psychological thriller. With a fantastic team on her side, including artwork from Heather Mill and Jan Burns, sound and photography by Lucie Baker, cinematography by Daniel Vink and Andre Shank, lighting design by Stephen Dean, set design and construction by Greg Spence, Rayner and Parker, the project was funded over a six month period by various grants, including the Crowdfunding platform, Pozible. 

  I made the lengthy flight from Brisbane to Adelaide to see the production, and I’m so incredibly glad that I did. ‘Closet Land – The Stage Play’, rated MA 15+, contains explicit content and scenes not suitable for children, and apparently not for some adults, who decided to leave mid-production as the realistic imagery and confronting messages were obviously just too much for them. Well, it’s their loss! ‘Closet Land – The Stage Play’ is not to be missed. But be warned! It’s not for the feint-hearted (although everyone should just suck it up and watch it anyway!). Definitely worth the 2 hour flight!