IN the summer 1974 a well-intentioned tea party descends into chaos.

Cue Alan Ayckbourn’s witty dialogue and mordant observations and there you have it –Absent Friends.

Wealthy, unfulfilled housewife Diana arranges a gathering of old friends to cheer up bereaved Colin, whose fiancée drowned two months earlier. Paul, her bullying, self-absorbed husband, has recently had a dalliance with Evelyn, the glamorous wife of his friend and incompetent business associate, John. The party is completed by long-suffering Marge, who has left Gordon, her hypochondriac spouse, ailing at home.

Preparations for the get-together spark tensions and open old wounds. As lingering resentments and deep-rooted jealousies surface, an unexpectedly cheerful Colin strolls into the mayhem.

Brought back to the stage by London Classic Theatre, the deliciously dark production is a ruthless vivisection of friendship, marriage and what it ultimately means to be happy.

“The play starts at a crisis point,” says Catherine Harvey, who plays the well-intentioned yet defeated Diana.

“I suppose that’s why it’s so funny. Essentially Diana has a breakdown during the course of the play. She wants to create the perfect home, the perfect world for everyone around her. She wants to help nurture everyone but she can’t. She knows from the start of the play that her husband is having an affair. It’s a pressure cooker moment.”

Absent Friends will run at the Wyvern Theatre from Monday, May 11 to Wednesday 13 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £18.50. To book call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.