Absent Friends

Thank you for inviting me to your production of Absent Friends and to the front of house team for welcoming me. The play written in 1974 is very much of its time when women were often downtrodden and expected to stay at home to look after their men. It could therefore feel very dated and uncomfortable, however, under the excellent direction of Mark this was not the case. With this talented cast it was a very enjoyable production with lots of humour within the thought-provoking and sometimes difficult storyline.

Together, Mark and his cast did an excellent job delivering this play and clearly understood the nuances, behaviours and social climate of the 1970’s. They had worked together to understand this thought-provoking play and their dysfunctional characters. The play was perfectly cast and the actors all had good on-stage chemistry which really came across to the audience, making it believable that they were a group of long-standing friends. I really enjoyed the way each individual had a very definite and distinct character which never wavered throughout the piece. Mark’s direction was assured, allowing the actors to develop the intense emotions of their characters and never shying away from the impact of their fractured relationships. He drew the audience’s attention to the details of the dialogue and the subtleties of the tensions between various characters so when there was movement, it was all the more powerful. 

The play was enhanced by a wonderful set which was immediately recognisable as being from the 1970’s. As soon as the tabs opened, we were faced with strikingly bold patterned wallpaper with lots of browns and oranges for the décor, cane furniture and bar stools, all oozing 70’s style.

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