Bossy, sexually frustrated, hedonistic, cheap-white-trash Beverly is the hostess from hell.
Joining her are Sue, who has escaped her home while the 15 year old Abigail of the title holds her party down the road, new neighbours Tony and Angela, and Beverly's overworked estate agent husband Laurence.
Sue spends the evening wishing that people would stop discussing her divorce and pushing drinks on her. The monosyllabic Tony wishes that Angela would stop her idiotic twittering. Laurence, with pretensions of class and culture, clearly wishes that he could interest Beverly in something other than Demis Roussos records and seducing Tony. But Beverly holds court in her own house, thrusting her bullying, brutal
compassion on her guests while making
cringe-inducing social blunders.
Although written for the theatre, Abigail's Party became a 70's cult classic when produced as Play for Today on BBC TV and Alison Steadman won several awards for her portrayal of Beverly. Inevitably any production will be compared to the TV version. So here goes. Lizzy McInnerny has adopted the same irritating high-pitched East London voice but in this production all the characters seem to be less exaggerated and consequently not as funny.
Huw Higginson (George Garfield from The Bill, but unrecognisable with beard and floppy hairstyle), seems too large for the part of hen-pecked and exploited husband Laurence and doesn't generate the sympathy that is needed to show the tragedy and humour of Beverly's treatment of him. In fact, all the characters in this production seem to be toned-down versions of their TV counterparts. The set is the only improved element: filled with retro style and bounded by wood-effect sides as though the play is being performed inside a radiogram.
If you've never seen this play on TV or in the theatre before, then it is a must-see. This production is very enjoyable and well acted but you may get better value for money buying the video.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
