Absent Friends
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Written by Alan Ayckbourn Directed by Nikolai Foster Diana Kerry Peers Marge Samantha Giles Evelyn Poppy Tierney Colin David Crellin Paul Steve Pinder John Dominic Gately
Jan 28 to Feb 20
Absent Friends
An Oldham Coliseum Production in association with Harrogate Theatre and the Anvil
Five old friends rally round to support their mutual friend Colin after the sudden death of his fiancé. Organising a tea party to welcome him back proves to be the trigger for unresolved tensions among the group to resurface with a vengeance. When Colin arrives, the others are baffled to find that, far from needing their help, he is blissfully happy with his memories of the time he spent with his fiancé. His presence makes it uncomfortably apparent that it is the others in the group who need consoling for their lost dreams and disintegrating marriages.
With the action unfolding in real time, Ayckbourn’s dissection of middleclass illusions has never been more acute. More ambitious than just pure comedy or farce, Absent Friends is a bittersweet masterpiece.
Production Photography
Video
Cast
Reviews
“The cast of six are an ensemble whose rapport increases as the evening progresses … The more uncomfortable the situations get, the better they respond” Manchester Evening News
“Samantha Giles is enjoyably mumsy as Marge while David Crellin pulls the whole thing together as Colin” Oldham Evening Chronicle
“Dominic Gately is enjoyably jittery as a man whose nervous energy drives everyone to distraction…” The Guardian
“If it is the saddest and most moving thing he has written, it is also the most clear-sighted and the funniest.” Sunday Times
Show Times
Evening Performances: 7.30pm
Matinee Performances: 2.30pm
