Albion Theatre consistently produces polished and well rehearsed plays. I Have Been There Before is no exception. It is extremely well directed, acted, designed, and stage managed. Priestly’s script has never connected with an audience to enjoy a lengthy theatrical run, but the Albion production is entertaining, with the second and third acts moving much more briskly than the first.
It is odd to call a story about a terminal cancer patient likeable, warm, and witty. Director Robert Ashton and his cast have staged a bittersweet production of Colder Than Here that is filled with vulnerable performances. Laura Wade’s affectionately droll and delightfully strange dark comedy conveys how laughter can be a cathartic force that disarms grief.
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.
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