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Closer than Ever.
Gas Monkey Theatre Company
Warehouse Theatre, Ilminster
by G P-W in "Blackmore Vale Magazine", July 26th 2002
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UNLESS you are an avid student of tiny-print, fast moving film credits, you may not recognise the names Richard Maltby Jr and David Shire. But their CVs (lyrics
for Miss Saigon, Song and Dance, music for Return to Oz, 2010 etc) are testament to their talents. Their show Closer than Ever began as an hour-long collection of sketch-songs
in Greenwich Village 13 years ago, transferring to Broadway and ecstatic reviews. Little known in the UK a new company, gave local audiences a chance to get to know the clever
songs and Sondheim-ish music. Gas Monkey's short tour came to an end last week, and the audience at Ilininster was evidently delighted to see such a fine show so well performed.
A production of the show was a dream for company founder Bryony Growdon (who worked as a meter reader while studying drama), and it has been germinating since she played in Dead
Woman's Ditch opposite Mark Freestone earlier in the year. With Mark and two more professional actors, Ben Yates who has recently graduated and Josephine Easton, well known
locally for her non-professional roles, and with the energetic and talented musician Matheson BayleyMan, the show was on the road. It is a collection of songs about modem
romance, break-ups and reconciliations, hopeless loves, stereotypes, future fears and past regrets, falling apart and coming together. With no dialogue, the success of Closer
than Ever depends on slick presentation, snapshot characterisation and great musical skill, and Gas Monkey provided all those things, with that extra zing that kept you on the
edge of your seat. There were few members of the audience who would not identify with at least one of the characters or recognise the situations.
Some of the songs may be familiar -the determinedly hopeful Another Wedding Song, The March of Time, Fathers of Fathers, If I Get Up Tomorrow Morning... All encapsulate a story,
like the song that got the show started. The Bear, The Tiger, The Hamster and The Vole (all about females existing happily without males). Bryony shone in the surprising story
of the apparently prim Miss Byrd, who flew. Jo gave Life Story her special treatment. She is a performer who seems to plug in to a special electric charge. Matheson's sensitive
playing emphasised the mood of each song, from Ben's impassioned What Am I Doing? to Mark's youthful regrets in One of the Good Guys. It is surprising that Closer than Ever is
not more often performed. and fortunate for those of us who saw the Gas Monkey production. Thanks Bryony and Co. More please.
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Opening the doors on life and LOVE
By SUE WHITE
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THE 'doors' opened on life and love as it is lived and loved today when Closer Than Ever was staged in Newton Abbot. The powerful musical by Richard Maltby Junior and David
Shire explores a rich range of relationships in a series of songs opening with a number called Doors and ranging from the thought-provoking to the humorous.
The songs were given maximum impact by the polished cast of the Gas Monkey Theatre Company. Performing in Newton Abbot was a home-coming for one of them - Ben Yates, 23. who is
making his professional debut in Closer Than Ever. Ben's home is at Ingsdon on the outskirts of Newton Abbot, and the show is a launch pad for his career after completing an
acting musical theatre course at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
The musical was a sharply focused showcase for the talents of Ben and his fellow, performers Josephine Easton, Mark Freestone and Bryony Growdon. Individually and as a company,
they performed with slick professionalism and real style.
Their interpretation of the songs in Closer Than Ever made the most of lyrics which were entertaining as well as hard-hitting. And a keynote feature of the show was the
performance of the musical director, gifted pianist Matheson Bayley. His playing captivated the audience so much that when he stayed to play the people out, everybody stayed
seated and called for more before giving him a standing ovation.
The Gas Monkey Theatre Company treated its audience to a performance of a calibre rarely seen in the town. If it makes a return visit, seize the chance to see it.
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To be considered for future productions please email your CV and photos
to Bryony Growdon
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