Mark Kilmurry’s production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends at Glen Street Theatre draws inspiration from its sheltered suburban surroundings in its portrayal of middle class mundanity and friendships way past their best before date.
Tensions are at boiling point in this tea party from hell where nobody is listening and everyone is a bit unhinged. Against a backdrop of beaded curtains, brown leather couches and still life flowers which scream 1970s nostalgia, the characters are clearly friends out of habit not choice. Their facial performances – the women are hysterical, clumsy and rude, while the men are blundering, slimy and stoic – play well into the gender struggles of the era. In true black comedy style, sex and death front up frustrations: loss, loyalty and lacklustre love-making.
Like a good shanking, the play cuts deep and twists mercilessly into the side of marriage. With plenty of cringes and chuckles Kilmurry takes a good crack at serving up a slice of the sexism rife in domesticity and dreams.
Glen Street Theatre (finished)
