Alchemist Theatre’s Dark ‘Closet Land’

The Alchemist Theatreoffers a glimpse into the dark practice of interrogation with its production ofRadha Bharadwaj’s Closet Land.Jenna Wetzel stars as an author of children’s stories who has been brought infor questioning regarding one of her manuscripts. The two-person play focusesexclusively on the author’s interactions with her interrogating officer, playedby Alchemist Theatre’s Aaron Kopec.

The twisted,almost-surreal stories of interrogation techniques coming out of Abu Ghraib andGuantanamo Bay would make for compelling drama, butBharadwaj paints in only the broadest strokes, seeking to focus the dialoguebetween captive and captor on the larger themes of aggression and oppressionrather than the interrogation process itself.

Kopec and Wetzel do acompetent, if uninspired, job of bringing the drama to the stage. Wetzelrenders the proper amount of vulnerability, but stops short of drawing morethan that out of the role. Kopec is fascinating to watch as interrogator, buthis performance lacks the intricacy required for the subtleties in the script.The simplicity of Kopec’s interrogator actually works in this casea nuancedportrayal might seem less disturbing than that of a straightforward,unremarkable bureaucrat in this line of work.

With Wetzel strikingsympathetic chords against Kopec’s flatly overbearing presence, Alchemist’s Closet Landends up being an extremely dark,emotionally affecting look at the drama that plays out on a daily basis insmall, dark places all over the world.

Alchemist Theatre’sproduction of Closet Land runsthrough July 3.