Loveplay by Moira Buffini makes the point that, when it comes to sexual relations, very little has changed in 2,000 years.

Women may be wrapped up in sackcloth, wimples or corsets but, even if they are underneath the action, they are usually on top of it. Men barge, shove, preen and posture, largely hiding kindness and emotion.

Through ten short scenes from AD 79 to 2013, six actors interpret Roman conquest, Dark Age rape, Shakespearean tragedy, cloistered secrets, Victorian melodrama, bluestocking spinsterdom, male bonding, hippy wifeswap and dating agencies, each illustrating comical aspects of pair bonding.

Perhaps funniest is Leigh Ward as a Roman soldier intent on grabbing a bit of local action and trying to pay in coin instead of the customary chicken, but Claire Lewis and the Sister with a secret comes a close second.

Ellie Mason is in sparkling form as miserable actress and spiky lesbian, matched in spirit by her repressed and uptight partner Caroline Lambe.

Steven Adams plays a few luckless chaps with bravado, while Frank McHugh bravely carries off Eric, Trevelyn, Quilley, Boy and Quinn.

A witty play with clever staging; marvellous as usual from the Brighton Little Theatre Company.