Absent Friends

Not seen an Aychbourn for a while, in fact looking back though my nine years as a NODA rep I don’t appear to have ever reviewed one before, so I was curious to see how AFDS had tackled the master of domestic relationships, 1970’s style play writing. Not an easy play to pull off with all its inter-relationship complexities.

This was Josh Rush’s directorial debut. A brave choice to take on an Aychbourn with all its complex character interactions, but all in all he did a pretty good job of it and certainly got the best out of his very experience cast. The pace was kept up throughout as the mood and underlying tensions surfaced and often exploded. The actors had certainly put in the hard work, knew the script inside out and their interactions with each other were extremely well done.

For some reason the programme doesn’t list any crew credits, which is a shame, so well done to Liam Tonner for the sound effects. And to TADS stalwart Paul Horsler for the lighting design. Good job guys!

The play is very precisely timed and takes place on the afternoon of June 17th1974, and the set, a collaborative cast and back-stage team effort, was designed to reflect this with very much seventies orange and yellow concentric circle wallpaper very reminiscent of the period, with a sofa almost matching the wallpaper. A doorway stage right hung with a beaded flyscreen led to the front door and the other ground floor rooms. Stage right was a carpeted staircase to the upstairs and the middle of the back wall a set of French windows led to the garden. And what wasn’t wallpapered was painted in a shade of yellow, fashionable in the seventies. The garden was portrayed by a plant with giant leaves, which to my mind looked a little out of place for an English country garden and the French doors could have done with rehanging as they failed to close properly throughout the show. So, it didn’t quite portray the home of the upmarket executive and a little more attention to detail wouldn’t have gone amiss, as for example getting the pram in and out could have done with a little more space between the set dividers between the garden and the exit to the rest of the house.

Sarah Benjamin was the lynchpin of this show and showed all her class as an experienced actress portraying Diana’s underlying insecurity and angst. Great contrast between her and Jane Murdoch’s Marge, a much more upbeat character, Really good light and shade between these two. I was also amused by Marge’s choice of dress, which blended into the pattern on the sofa almost perfectly.

Dave Hillman as Diana’s husband, Paul started off being fairly laid back but gradually got more and more tense as his secrets slowly came to light. Wonderful moment when he had the cream poured over his head.

The object of the party, Colin was very well portrayed by Alaister Kelly in his 102nd show in twenty-three years on the stage. That’s some record! Playing a character who believes he intuitively understands others and is sensitive to their needs, when in fact he is the exact opposite. His delivery, sense of timing and facial expressions as he rode rough shot over everybody in the room were a delight.

Aldo Saralli as John, Evelyns husband and Paul’s business partner with his continual pacing of the set, not quite in the conversation style I found slightly annoying to start with, until of course I realised this was his character described by Colin as a hyperactive doer who couldn’t sit still.  Despite looking slightly uncomfortable in his platform shoes he certainly nailed that. Very well done.

And then we had Evelyn the much younger wife of John played by Natalie Shearer, who sat reading a magazine the whole time, listening but not engaging with the other characters unless specifically addressed; absolutely mastered the cutting sarcastic one-liner.  You had to laugh every time she spoke. A no nonsense character who really didn’t give a fig about the others in the room. Utterly brilliant!

So well done to Josh Rush, his cast and crew, a pretty good stab at a complex Aychbourn, which you pulled off very well indeed.  Thank you for an enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

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