Never Closer | Underground Theatre Company
Images: Dalitso Shea
Underground Theatre Company’s Never Closer by Grace Chapple has taken over the UQ Geoffrey Rush Drama Studio this week. The story centres on a tense Christmas Eve reunion, where a group of friends gather for what promises to be a long night of nostalgia and re-connection. However, what begins as a search for shared history quickly dissolves into a pressure-cooker of buried grievances.
The entire production did not rely heavily on lighting or background soundtracks, with only a few significant moments, such as music playing over speaker to transition between scenes or a single dramatic lighting effect. Instead, it focused solely on the dialogue to drive the story forward across the play’s 90-minute runtime. The energy constantly shifted, ranging from the loud, overlapping group arguments to the quiet, cutting intimacy of two-person conversation on a sofa. Throughout, the blocking and physicality remained seamless, keeping the momentum tight.
What I found most compelling was the authenticity of the character dynamics. Each performer was fully committed, and their Irish accents felt natural, grounding the dialogue in what sounded like genuine, unscripted conversation. The relationships between the friends were tangible; sitting in the audience, I could feel the tension and the thick, awkward air between them. It was a heavy script—full of high emotional stakes, lingering anger, deep-seated jealousy, and unresolved trauma, but it was cleverly balanced by the arrival of Niamh’s English fiancé, Harry, who provided some much-needed comedic relief.
Images: Dalitso Shea
Stage design transported the audience to 1970’s Ireland with its period-accurate aesthetic. The set design was characterised by a bookshelf, vintage lamps, and worn, authentic furniture—created a claustrophobic, lived-in space that felt evocative. The costumes matched this attention to detail, subtly reflecting the era with tailored jackets, textured knitwear, vintage silhouettes, and polished patent leather shoes. By rooting the production in these tactile, era-specific details, the set served as a visual echo of the characters' shared history, mirroring the way their past traumas and memories continue to haunt their present-day interactions. This realistic environment acted as a quiet anchor, keeping the focus squarely on the characters and preventing the drama from ever feeling untethered from its place and time.
As much as I appreciated the concept of this cautionary tale of what happens when people get stuck in the past, and trapped in toxic environments and relationships, the play didn’t quite land for me. As someone coming to the show without having read the book, I expected to leave the theatre feeling at least somewhat inspired, educated, or motivated, as the piece has so much potential of delivering a powerful emotional payoff. Ultimately, the script and some structural choices hindered its impact. The first and last parts of the play simply lacked the momentum of the central section of the play set during Christmas Eve. The final act, in particular, felt confusing to me due to the sudden shift in time and characters. Rather than adding depth to the story, it felt like a jarring departure from the established narrative. It was difficult for me to grasp the purpose of this transition, and it ultimately felt flat and disconnected from the tension built during the long, tangled web of mystery. The play would likely be much stronger if it focused on the Christmas Eve reunion alone. While the cast’s commitment to the work is striking, it is a shame the final execution didn’t quite hit the mark, leaving me feeling more disoriented than moved by its resolution.
Never Closer offered a poignant glimpse into the suffocating weight of the past on the present. While the play’s lack of cohesive ending prevented it from delivering the emotional clarity and message it clearly aimed for, I can certainly see how this exploration of toxic dynamics and long-term friendship could resonate with others. It is undeniably a well-acted and thoughtfully staged piece of theatre, even if it didn’t fully connect with me by the end. I would suggest seeing it for yourself to see how it lands with you.
Never Closer played 8-11 July 2026 at UQ’s Geoffrey Rush Drama Studio.
Images: Dalitso Shea
