Abigail's Party

Synopsis

In 1970s suburbia, Beverly and her husband Laurence are hosting a drinks party for their neighbours. There is plenty of alcohol, an array of cheese-pineapple savoury bites and olives, and Demis Roussos on the record player. But as prejudices are unmasked and tempers flare, the evening seems headed for disaster...

Mike Leigh's classic comedy is directed by Lindsay Posner, who recently directed Noises Off at the Old Vic. Other credits include: Butley (Duchess), A View from the Bridge (Duke of York's - Olivier nomination) and Fiddler on the Roof (Savoy - Olivier nomination).

The role of the infamous Beverly will be played by Jill Halfpenny, who won an Olivier Award in 2011 for her role as Paulette in Legally Blonde (Savoy). Jill is also well known for her TV roles on EastEnders, Waterloo Road and Blue Murder

Our Review:

21 May 2012

Lindsay Posner’s revival of Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party, which has moved uptown from the Menier Chocolate Factory like a 1970s kitsch epidemic, is a riot of beige and brown clothing, sickly orange wallpaper and shag pile carpet, with acting, music and cheesy nibbles to match.

The audience embraces the play as a cult event, which it undoubtedly is, though I’d much prefer a less hysterical, wound-up, screeching type of performance. The wigs, for instance, are deliberately terrible and hideous, and Natalie Casey’s Angela notably robotic, walking around like a constipated rag doll in her patchwork dress; could this woman plausibly be employed as a nurse, even at a hospital in Walthamstow?

But even the extremity of the acting, which is in danger of obscuring the humanity of the characters - the hole in the heart of Tony and Angela’s marriage, for instance, the barrenness of Beverly, the wilted sadness of [Susannah H...

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Latest User Review

Trevor Lewis - 11 August 2012:

I found Abigail's Party absolutely boring, as did my son, virtually from beginning to end. One doesn't have to go to the theatre to find people behaving like them. They're all around us. The acting was OTT. Tell them they don't need to shout quite so loud, particularly 'Laurence'. The theatre is quite small. My OTT is the opera and the actors are good to listen to. I will stay with that in future. ...

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