Review: ABSENT FRIENDS at Kranzberg Black Box Theater

There are those rare instances when a director perfectly casts and directs a play. The actor in every role inhabits the playwright’s characters and delivers performances that transcend an exceptional script to further elevate the material. That is exactly what Robert Ashton has done with Albion Theatre’s second show of their inaugural season with his casting and direction of Alan Ayckbourn’s comical farce ABSENT FRIENDS.

Following the death of a friend’s significant other, Diana (Nicole Angeli) invites Colin (Ben Ritchie) to a tea party with a gathering of old friends in the hopes to comfort him in his time of grief. The guests include her husband, Paul (Jason Meyers), his longtime friend and business associate John (Mike De Pope), John’s wife Evelyn (Annalise Webb), and their friend Marge (Anna Langdon.) By the time Colin arrives at Diana and John’s home, the tension in the room has become palpable. His other friends have already unpacked their significant emotional baggage that includes marital infidelity and an inability to cope with any discussion pertaining to death and dying. It is apparent upon his arrival that the oblivious Colin is the only one who is happy and could possibly enjoy the tea party.

Ashton’s direction of his fantastic cast extorts every absurd laugh in the script. He has blocked each scene in the play with intentional movement that heightens the actor’s performances, reflects the authenticity of each character, exposes the relationships between the characters, and enhances each actor’s characterizations. His blocking effectively uses Erik Kuhn’s discerning set design. Kuhn’s set decoration, coupled with Marjorie Williamson’s graphic and set painting, and Gwynneth Rausch’s prop choices instantly transports the audience back to a 1970s living room in suburban England. The design team’s mindfulness and attention to detail is theatrical perfection.

Every actor in this production makes magnificent choices in both their physical characterizations and their delivery of the dialogue. The tension between Diana (Angeli) and Evelyn (Webb) is immediately apparent from Angeli’s delivery of her one-way conversation in the play’s opening moments as she desperately tries to engage a visitor who is clearly disinterested in her banter. Webb, as Evelyn, is an adept physical actor using movement, body language and facial expression to convey boredom and indifference without relying on scripted dialogue throughout the entire play. Mike De Pope’s portrayal of John and his ability to express his character’s immense discomfort through physical comedy is utterly hilarious. The entire cast delivers impeccable performances that elicit every laugh from the script through Ashton’s meticulous direction.

Albion Theatre is a gift to this theatrical community with their productions of plays by English and Irish playwrights that are not often produced in St. Louis. Their previous production of Pinter’s THE BIRTHDAY PARTY and this production of ABSENT FRIENDS have both been spectacular. This production of ABSENT FRIENDS is a remarkable example of adroit storytelling and must be seen.

ABSENT FRIENDS plays at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre through June 25th.

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