With neglect, relationships once sustained by the warmth of fire may soon chill to ice.

This is the concept behind Alan Ayckbourn’s dark comedy “Absent Friends,” directed by Barta Lee Heiner and performed by BYU acting students in the Margetts Theatre through Nov. 14.

“‘Absent Friends’ shows how relationships have the fire of passion at the very beginning but if that fire is not nurtured it turns to ice,” Heiner said.

The story is about a group of old friends who were at one time very close but have let their fire burn out and are now forced to see the consequences of their own frailties when they meet together for tea to comfort an old friend, Collin, after the sudden death of his fiancé.

During the gathering, Collin cheerfully reminisces on the romance and bliss their relationships once had, taking each of the five troubled friends to their own breaking point.

“I think it will inspire audience members who are overcoming trials to go out and fix things,” said Christopher Davis, who plays Collin. “Maybe by improving other’s lives.”

This cautionary tale may cause members of the audience to question: how many of my own relationships have suffered or ended because of careless neglect?

The setting of the performance is the present day. Upon entering the theater, you are greeted by familiar ’80s hits over the sound system and a set up of a living room/kitchenette nook on the stage, while the audience is seated arena-style around the scene.

“Barta decided to do ’80s music because that is what our characters would have listened to in college and this is sort of a reunion,” said Megan Ann Jones, who plays Diana.

From her first appearance, it is obvious Diana has the weight of the world on her shoulders, as if the slightest breeze of conflict would cause her to snap. And she does snap.

“This is definitely one of the hardest roles I have ever played,” Jones said. “This character is facing a lot; her husband is having an affair and her kids are away at boarding school, so she is feeling pretty lonely so it has a stretch that way. I am always really tired after the performance is over but it has been definitely good practice.”

With a production of this caliber performing in such an intimate setting, the audience can see everything from the whites in the actors’ eyes to words they were holding back to the exact moment of reluctant realization.

It may be impossible not to struggle alongside Diana’s intolerable loneliness and participate in the fight to provide hope through Collin’s blind optimism. That is what makes this performance one that should not be observed but experienced by all.

Although this production deals with many heavy subjects, the British humor and quick wit of the dialogue provides a refreshing twist on the oh-so-real troubles of the characters.

In the director’s note, Heiner quotes from “Diantha,” a one-person show:
“Fire has always been a fascination to me. It’s sort of like living to me. In a way, it’s like love. It’s warm, it’s constant as long as it is cared for, destructive without respect, it goes away when it is neglected and yet when it’s gone … its presence still lingers … only waiting to be wanted.”