Absent Friends (play)

This article is about the Alan Ayckbourn play. For the Divine Comedy album, see Absent Friends (disambiguation).

Absent Friends is a 1974 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn.

Plot

When Colin, a friend who has been absent, comes back to his circle of friends, his friends are worried about how to approach him over the death of his fiancée, Carol, who has drowned. Diana organizes a tea party for Colin's arrival. The characters are shown to have interrelationship tensions and this is near erupting when Colin arrives, heightening the tension when they all work to appear friendly towards him. However Colin seems euphorically happy while the rest of the party are near breaking point.

Diana is concerned in Act I regarding whether her husband (Paul) is faithful or not. Deep down she knows he is not and has a feeling he is having a 'love-affair' with Evelyn. Evelyn's husband John is in business with Paul and knows that Paul and Evelyn have slept together but doesn't say anything in fear of damaging business relations. The play unfolds and Colin's arrival triggers Diana's confrontation. She ends up pouring the cream on Paul and breaking down at the end of the play.

External links

Absent Friends on official Ayckbourn site

The plays of Alan Ayckbourn

Plays	The Square Cat Love After All Dad's Tale Standing Room Only Christmas v Mastermind Mr Whatnot Relatively Speaking The Sparrow How the Other Half Loves Family Circles Time and Time Again Absurd Person Singular The Norman Conquests: Table Manners, Living Together, Round and Round the Garden Absent Friends Confusions Jeeves (musical) Bedroom Farce Just Between Ourselves Ten Times Table Joking Apart Sisterly Feelings Taking Steps Suburban Strains Season's Greetings Way Upstream Making Tracks Intimate Exchanges It Could Be Any One Of Us A Chorus of Disapproval Woman in Mind A Small Family Business Henceforward... Man of the Moment Mr A's Amazing Maze Plays The Revengers' Comedies Invisible Friends Body Language This Is Where We Came In Callisto 5 Wildest Dreams My Very Own Story Time of My Life Dreams from a Summer House Communicating Doors Haunting Julia The Musical Jigsaw Play A Word from Our Sponsor The Champion of Paribanou Things We Do for Love Comic Potential The Boy Who Fell Into a Book House and Garden: House, Garden Virtual Reality Whenever Damsels in Distress: GamePlan, FlatSpin, RolePlay Snake in the Grass The Jollies Sugar Daddies Orvin – Champion Of Champions My Sister Sadie Drowning on Dry Land Private Fears in Public Places Miss Yesterday Improbable Fiction If I Were You Things That Go Bump: Life and Beth Awaking Beauty My Wonderful Day Life of Riley Neighbourhood Watch

One-act plays	Countdown (from Mixed Doubles) Confusions: Mother Figure, Drinking Companion, Between Mouthfuls, Gosforth’s Fete, A Talk in the Park A Cut in the Rates

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