Set in the 1970s, Absent Friends is a throwback to a different time; a time when marriage was not on equal terms, boredom was an inevitability to be lived through and bell-bottoms were sexy.
Played out over one Saturday afternoon, Absent Friends sees Diana invite a few friends for tea to reconnect with Colin, an old friend who’s been recently widowed. As they await his arrival, she’s convinced her husband Paul is having an affair with his friend John’s wife, Evelyn. When Colin finally arrives, his grieving gives the group of friends pause to consider.
While this might sound like a heavy drama, the laughs are think and fast in the play, with excellent performances throughout. Diana’s old-school homely charm and insecurities are played out excellently by Michelle Doake, as is her ineffectual husband played by Richard Sydenham. Queenie van de Zandt subtly steals the show, however, as the quirky friend Marge, herself battling marital issues with a hypochondriac husband who exists only via frequent phone calls to the party. Darren Gilshenan lights up the stage on entry as Colin, who’s a pure and perfect friend desperate to connect after his tragedy.
As the play was written in 1974, this isn’t a period comedy, but rather a solid snapshot of a time of teething, when sexual liberation was bubbling under the surface though divorce was yet to be a commonplace solution to failing marriages. As this is an English play, the use of Australian accents don’t quite match the set design or some of the cultural references, so a more Australiana update of the set and costumes would help drive the humour. Overall, the performances from the full ensemble cast are king here.
4/5 stars
Absent Friends played at Glen Street Theatre from Wednesday January 28 – Sunday February 1.
