Absent Friends
- lilydaleatc
- Mar 19, 2017
- 2 min read
Updated: May 30, 2021
Absent Friends A dramatic comedy by Alan Ayckbourn Directed by Peter Roberts Season 1 2017: 2 March to 18 March By special arrangement with Origin Theatrical Pty Ltd (Samuel French)
This frantic comedy comes from one of England's most acclaimed playwrights, Sir Alan Ayckbourn.
It is the summer of 1974, and a well-intentioned tea party descends into chaos. Wealthy, unfulfilled housewife Diana arranges a gathering of old friends to cheer up bereaved Colin, whose fiancée drowned two months earlier. Paul, her bullying, self-absorbed husband, has had a recent dalliance with Evelyn, the glamorous wife of his friend and incompetent business associate, John. The party is completed by long-suffering Marge, who has left Gordon, her hypochondriac spouse, ailing at home.
Preparations for the party spark tensions and open old wounds. As lingering resentments and deep-rooted jealousies surface, an unexpectedly cheerful Colin strolls into the mayhem.
Acerbic and painfully funny, Absent Friends explores friendship, marriage and what it ultimately means to be happy. In one of his finest plays, Ayckbourn's craftsmanship and acute social observation have never been sharper or more biting.
CAST
Evelyn
Diana
Marge
Paul
John
Colin
PRODUCTION TEAM
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Box Office & Administration
Promotional Video:
Regan Wood – Hit 66
Front of House Manager
Assisted by Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company Volunteers
Photography & Programme
Program Printing
Snap Printing Lilydale
