June 9 -25 at the Kranzberg Black Box Theater, 501 N. Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63103, directed by Robert Ashton.
A tea party is arranged supposedly to console an old friend, but it reveals the troubled relationships of the others at the party. One of Ayckbourn’s most successful plays, it has been called “the saddest.…and the funniest” of his plays. The cast (in order of appearance) is:
| Evelyn | Annalise Webb |
| Diana | Nicole Angeli |
| Marge | Anna Langdon |
| Paul | Jason Meyers |
| John | Mike De Pope |
| Colin | Ben Ritchie |
GREAT REVIEWS
“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.” James Lindhorst, Broadway World
“Albion Theatre’s version of “Absent Friends” is a polished gem, full of surprises aboutlove and dreams and fulfillment and how each of us plays with the hand we’re dealt inthe game of life.” Mark Bretz, Ladue News
“I’m glad Albion chose a play I hadn’t seen and that the company’s staging brings out the best in the play.” Gerry Kowarsky, HEC/Two on the Aisle