Chris Mixon as Sidney Hopcroft in the Denver Center Theatre Company production of Alan Ayckbourn’s holiday comedy Absurd Person Singular, directed by Sabin Epstein. Photo courtesy of DCPA.

“Absurd Person Singular” chronicles the lives of six friends across three years of disastrous Christmas parties in a dark British humor style. The series of inane parties show the development of relationships between the characters and their fortune (or misfortune) from the previous year.

If you’re not one who frequently laughs at suicide attempts, “Absurd Person Singular” will change your habits. During the second Christmas party Eva Jackson (Kathleen McCall) is depressed at her husband’s inability to remain faithful, and spends the entire scene trying to kill herself in every imaginable way.

Geoffrey Jackson is a despicable character and David Ivers does a superlative job at portraying him as the cretin that he is.

Eva’s faithful friends, attempting to enjoy the holidays with her, truly are possibly blind to her obvious decline. Her suicide notes are taken to draw pictures and diagrams on, and generally overlooked for what they really are.

Her suicide attempts are misconstrued by her friends as her need to clean the oven, fix the plumbing or simply change a light bulb. Eva never speaks during the second and most comical scene, furthering the confusion.

The three women’s friendship is called into question throughout the play, especially in the final scene with Eva taking care of a distressed Marion Brewster-Wright (Jeanne Paulsen) during the third Christmas.

Marion’s primary characteristic is persistent caustic remarks showing mercy to no one. Her comments fall primarily on her husband, Ronald Brewster-Wright (John Hutton), who masterfully reinforced the humor of the play even through serious situations.

Modern culture is depicted with the rising of the young Hopcrofts and the slow decline of the more established Brewster-Wrights and Jacksons.

The play also emphasizes societal themes. During the first Christmas party, Sidney (Chris Mixon) and Jane Hopcroft (Magan Byrne) struggle to be accepted among colleagues in the professional world Sidney is rising up in.

The important political undertone of this play may be lost as it is running as the antidote to “A Christmas Carol.” Perhaps this is why the play originally opened in July.

Writer Alan Ayckbourn wrote more than 70 plays, “Absurd Person Singular” being one of the earlier popular plays. It debuted in London in 1972 and ran a healthy 973 performances.

Though Ayckbourn was aiming to bring to light conditions in the 1970s, his ideas are still relevant to current social and economic issues. “Absurd Person Singular” is modern, edgy humor that we should all feel guilty pleasure for in the light of its dicey nature.

“Absurd Person Singular”

Space Theatre, DCPA

Nov. 13 — Dec. 19