About the Book:

An accessible, informative and critical introduction to Patrick Marber's award-winning (and often studied) play Closer.

Closer emerged as one of the most successful plays of the 1990s, and one with a continuing afterlife through the academy award nominated film adaptation in 2004. Although the work of dramatists such as Sarah Kane and Mark Ravenhill initially attracted the most critical and academic attention, Closer by Patrick Marber had long West End and Broadway runs. The play has since gone on to repeat this success in over 30 other countries. This guide provides a comprehensive critical introduction to the play, giving you an overview of the background and context; detailed analysis of the play's structure, style, characters etc; analysis of key production issues and choices; overview of the performance history from the 1997 National Theatre premiere to recent productions including the film version; and an annotated guide to further reading highlighting key critical approaches.

About the Author:

Graham Saunders is Lecturer in Theatre Studies at the University of Reading, UK. He is author of several books on theatre studies and has published a number of articles on contemporary British and Irish drama for the academic journals.