Closer ****

The lights come on to show an injured young girl, Alice (Miley Tunnecliffe) sitting at the side of the road. Dan (Nick Britton) stops to help her and takes her to hospital where a young doctor, Larry (Peter Clark) gives her a quick check over, but finds an old scar on her leg far more interesting than the new injuries. Both men are married, one to Anna (Mia Martin) the other to Ruth. Whilst the women are wanting security, the two men are wanting their cake and to eat it too. What will be the outcome? Happy families or four lonely people?

This play was penned by Patrick Marber, who has written ‘Dealer’s Choice’ and the recent Judy Dench screenplay ‘Notes on a Scandal’. This play may have been an international hit, but I really felt that 15 minutes off the script would have worked better.

The performances were all very enjoyable, with plenty of pathos, no nudity but certainly raunchy scenes and some great, well-delivered comedy. At the thin parts of the script, I noticed a drop in the actors’ delivery, as though they too felt that an edit was necessary.

The directing (Igor Sas) was proficient, and the lighting and design limited but effective. Good to see Blue Room’s hardworking Paula Coops getting a photo credit in the programme.

The show had plenty of punch (orally and visually) and was well worth seeing.