Katherine Parkinson, Reece Shearsmith, Kara Tointon et al. Set for Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends

David Armand, Elizabeth Berrington, Katherine Parkinson, Steffan Rhodri, Reece Shearsmith and Kara Tointon will star in Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends, to be presented at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly the Comedy Theatre) in London, January 26-April 14, with an opening on February 9. Jeremy Herrin will direct.

In the play, originally premiered in 1974, when Colin loses his fiancée, his married friends invite him round for comfort over tea and sandwiches. As the tea starts to pour, it’s clear that trouble is brewing with a wickedly funny blend of jealousy, infidelity and barely concealed loathing.

The production will feature designs by Tom Scutt with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph.

Armand, who will play John, is best known for his roles in the TV sketch shows Sorry I’ve Got No Head and Fast and Loose. Berrington, who will play Marge, was last on stage playing Bev in Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party at Hampstead Theatre and in the West End.

Parkinson, who will play Diana, is best known on television for her role as Jen in the Channel 4 series The IT Crowd, for which she won the British Comedy Best Actress Award. Rhodri, who will play Paul, can currently be seen in The Kitchen Sink at the Bush Theatre, and on television is best known for playing Dave Coaches in Gavin and Stacey.

Shearsmith, who will play Colin, is a quarter of the award-wining comedy team The League of Gentlemen and co-creator and writer of the BBC’s Psychoville. Tointon, who will play Evelyn, most recently played Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre, and is best known on television for playing Dawn Swann in EastEnders.

For tickets and more information, click here.