Harold Pinter, London: When it was first performed in 1974, Absent Friends marked an important shift in Alan Ayckbourn's work. In the place of the manic action and big set pieces which had characterised his previous plays, Absent Friends takes the form of a group of friends conversing in a static domestic setting. The friends in question have reluctantly come together to support a bereaved friend. In the absence…
SOURCE: The Stage at 05:47AM on February 10, 2012