Abigail's Party
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Abigail's Party is a 1977 play for stage and television created by Mike Leigh. It is a suburban situation comedy of manners, and a painfully well-observed satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that emerged in Britain in the 1970s. The play developed in lengthy improvisations during which Mike Leigh explored the characters with the actors, but would not always reveal the incidents that would occur during the play.
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[edit] Performances
The television version was simply the stage version videotaped directly, with no adaptation (although the record played by Beverly in the original stage production at the Hampstead Theatre was by Jose Feliciano, and in the TV production it was by Demis Roussos). It was shown as part of the BBC's famous Play for Today series.
[edit] Original cast
The original play starred Alison Steadman as Beverly, and Tim Stern as her husband Laurence. They are holding a drinks party for their new neighbours Angela (Janine Duvitski), and her husband Tony (John Salthouse). They also invite Susan (Harriet Reynolds), another neighbour. Abigail herself is never seen – she is Susan's 15-year-old daughter, who is holding her first teenage party next door.
[edit] Characters
- Beverly - She smokes, she drinks and she drives... her husband Lawrence to distraction. She has failed her driving test a few times. During the play she flirts with Tony and is always trying to impress her guests.
- Lawrence - Estate Agent Lawrence is husband to Beverly, with whom he frequently argues.
- Angela - Nurse Angela is wife to Tony and is very boring. She can't drive as Tony doesn't want her to.
- Tony - He works in computers and Beverly flirts with him throughout the play, much to the annoyance of Lawrence.
- Susan - Sue was getting divorced at the same time the other characters were getting married, as kindly pointed out by Beverly. She is a quiet character who doesn't really have the courage to say no.
[edit] Plot
The plot is very simple, revolving around the one-upmanship of the two couples, and the tension of Beverly and Laurence's barely functional marriage. As the alcohol takes effect, Beverly becomes increasingly attracted to Tony, as Laurence sits impotently by. After a tirade about art, he suffers a fatal heart attack. Within this simple framework, all of the obsessions, prejudices and petty competitiveness of the protagonists is ruthlessly exposed.
[edit] Critical response
Channel Four's reviewer said: "Abigail's Party still ranks as the most painful hundred minutes in British comedy-drama."
In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, Abigail's Party was placed 11th. It also appeared in a Radio Times poll to find the top 40 greatest TV shows on British television, published in August 2003.
[edit] Current situation
In 2003 the TV version was released on a BBC video and DVD. Also in 2003, the play was staged again in London's West End, with Elizabeth Berrington as Beverly. The play is being revived in Wolverhampton at the Grand Theatre (2005) and more recently at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter.
