Absent Friends

“Absent Friends” was written in 1974, and although the play explores some timeless themes, the director decided to maintain the 1970s setting.  This certainly gave the technical team an opportunity to show off some of their best work, and leaving the tabs open as the audience came in gave us all ample opportunity to admire the set and properties.  The set design made good use of the hall’s wide, shallow stage, and the build quality was characteristically high, up to and including the pelmet for the curtains.  I liked the way in which we were afforded glimpses of the hallway and the patio beyond the French windows.  The decoration featured a dado rail and the bright colours so typical of the period, while the framed prints channelled the shade of the era – orange.

The properties similarly typified the 1970s.  Those stick-backed Ercol chairs were exactly right and there were lots of little details to admire: the lava lamp (sadly not operational), the trimphone, the spider plant, the cheese and pineapple on sticks, the “C&A” plastic carrier bag …this wasn’t a theatrical production, this was time travel!  The sound effects were in keeping – that was unmistakably the sound of a trimphone ringing – and the incidental music was characteristically well-chosen.  Once the cast appeared it was quickly apparent that the same care and attention had been lavished on the costumes: from John’s denim ensemble to Marge’s dream platform shoes, from the men’s flared trousers to the women’s fringed handbags and big beads.  The hairdressing captured the styles of the era, from John’s flowing locks to Evelyn’s passive aggressive pigtails, from Diana’s extravagantly coiffed locks to Marge’s tight perm.  The whole was simply but effectively lit; did the level of daylight fade very slowly during the second act, or did I just imagine this?

For this is a drama played out in real time from 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a fact appropriately and dramatically illustrated by the working clock upstage centre.  Incredibly, the play was itself almost written in real time, as it was completed within a single day.  It is also a play in which famously nothing happens; the narrative is driven solely by the actions and reactions of six people in a living room.  In his programme note the director states that he wanted the cast to work with the theme of the absence of friendship, and I think they broadly succeeded in this.  The play itself remained a fascinating and sometimes uncomfortable blend of comedy and melancholy, of happiness and regret.

“Absent Friends” was directed by a two-time winner of the District best actor award in recent years, and there was plenty of evidence that some of his acting expertise had rubbed off on the company.  The blocking was well executed: I particularly liked the way in which the characters drifted towards and away from the central table just as they drifted in and out of conversations, but without this movement ever appearing obvious or forced.  The cast coped well with practical properties, consuming the copious snacks with enthusiasm.  The odd error aside, the cast knew their lines pretty well: the longer monologues in particular were delivered convincingly, with the phrases nicely shaped, and with plenty of emotional variation.  There was plenty of humour  – particularly when the characters were trying to stay off the subject of death to avoid hurting Colin’s feelings – as well as some thought-provoking ideas about friendship and love, absence and loss.  The residents of Eynsham are indeed fortunate to have the Players presenting such engaging drama in the heart of their village. 

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.