In 1997 Closer swept up all the major drama awards for Best New Play and Best Comedy, thereby establishing Patrick Marber as “the leading playwright of his generation”.

On the surface, the play is slick, modern and brilliantly funny (no-one who has seen it will forget that Internet scene in which one of the male characters sets up a date for the other by pretending to be a woman).

Beneath the skin, however, this play is deeply felt, sad and wise. It is about jealousy and desire and truth and lies, and how hard it is for human beings to get close to each other.