Absent Friends
by Alan Ayckbourn

Name: Absent Friends
Brand: Alan Ayckbourn
SKU: 9780573013317
Rating: 3.31 (118 reviews)

Absent Friends Book Cover — Absent Friends Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

120 minsPresent DayInterior SetBritish Comedy

Why we like it

"'Absent Friends' delves into the fragility of friendships, examining how grief and loss can both connect and separate those left behind."

From: Plays Centered on Friendship

What readers are saying

Readers appreciate the intricate writing and emotional depth of the play, highlighting its clever character dynamics and monologues. Many find the themes of friendship and grief resonate powerfully, making it a worthwhile experience despite some noting it feels a bit dated.

Gorgeously writtenIntriguing character dynamicsPowerful themes of friendshipFeels a bit dated

Synopsis

Colin must be comforted in his grief over the death of his fiancee so his friends, who never met the girl, arrange a tea party for him.

Understandably they are on edge wondering what to say, but there is more to their unease: Diane and Paul, John and Evelyn, and Marge and her husband are perpetually out of circulation with trivial illnesses are all kept together by a mixture of business and cross-marital emotional ties.

By the time Colin arrives for tea, their tenseness contrasts dramatically with his air of cheerful relaxation.

He is the only happy one among them and his happiness and insensitive analyses of their troubles causes each of them to break down.