'Love and sex are like politics: it's not what you say that matters, still less what you mean, but what you do. Patrick Marber understands this perfectly, and in Closer he has written one of the best plays of sexual politics in the language: it is right up there with Williams' Streetcar, Mamet's Oleanna, Albee's Virginia Woolf, Pinter's Old Times and Hare's Skylight.' The Sunday Times
"Patrick Marber's searing follow-up to Dealer's Choice establishes him as the leading playwright of his generation." Independent on Sunday
This Student Edition comes complete with a full introduction, plot synopsis, commentary, discussion of the film version, bibliography and questions for study. It is the perfect edition for anyone studying the play at school or college.
Patrick Marber was born in London. His first play, Dealer's Choice, premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London, in February 1995. It won the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and the Writers' Guild Award for Best West End Play. Closer premiered at the Royal National Theatre in May 1997. It won the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and the Critics' Circle Award and Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play. Closer premiered on Broadway in March 1999 where it won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play. Howard Katz premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London, in September 2001. Patrick Marber has also written extensively for television and radio including After Miss Julie (BBC, 1995).
Daniel Rosenthal was born in London in 1971. He has written on theatre and film for The Times, Independent and Observer, and his previous books include 100 Shakespeare Films (2007) and Student Editions of David Mamet's Oleanna and Patrick Marber's Closer. He has chaired 30 National Theatre Platforms and is Associate Producer of the recent BBC 4 Arena documentaries on the NT. He lectures on drama, film and journalism for the International Programmes department at Pembroke College, Cambridge His website is www.shakespeareonfilm.com
Jenny Stevens was an Associate Lecturer for the Open University and currently combines educational consultancy work with teaching and writing. She is the co-author with Pamela Bickley of Essential Shakespeare: The Arden Guide to Text and Interpretation (2013) and Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama: Text and Performance (2016).
Chris Megson is Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has taught and published widely in the field of modern drama, and is editor of The Methuen Drama Book of Naturalist Plays. Other works include: Get Real: Documentary Theatre Past and Present (with Alison Forsyth, 2011), and Modern British Playwriting: The 70s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations (2012).
Matthew Nichols graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2003 and has been teaching and leading outstanding Drama and Performing Arts departments for over a decade. Matthew also has extensive experience at a senior level with several exam boards, and was responsible for writing one of the reformed GCSE qualifications in Drama. In addition, Matthew works with schools, colleges, universities and theatres across the country. Matthew is a successful and sought after Drama education consultant, and was one of the founders of Drama Defined, which specialises in delivering high quality Drama education courses to staff and students. Matthew is currently Head of Drama at Manchester Grammar School. You can reach him on Twitter @matthew_drama.
