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Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DA

Abigail's Party

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Closed September 1, 2012

Olivier Award-winning actress Jill Halfpenny stars in Lindsay Posner's production of the classic comedy.

Why See Abigail's Party?

Comedy & Stand-upCritics Picks

Shag Carpets, pineapple chunks and lots of beige

Mike Leigh's classic portrait of 1970's suburbia was given a winning revival at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2012, before transferring to The Wyndhams Theatre. Directed by Lindsay Posner (who most recently helmed the Old Vic's 2013 staging of The Winslow Boy), the adaptation recreated the play's original orange-hued kitsch stage dressing to tee, and was widely praised for summoning up just as much blackly comic hilarity and cringeworthy moments as the original. Timeout termed it a "finely judged revival" that mined the play's underlying themes of isolation and despair, while still being "horribly funny".

Taking on the role of Beverley, made so famous by Alison Steadman in the original, was Jill Halfpenny. Best known for her work on Coronation Street, Halfpenny won an Olivier Award the year before for her part in Legally Blonde and once again turned in a riveting theatre performance, exuding equal amounts of catty jealous and pent up frustration. Andy Nyman played her poor put upon husband, while Joe Absolom turned in nice detestable performance as the bullying Tony, who Beverley flirts with more and more as the alcohol keeps flowing.

What is Abigail's Party About?

Beverley is holding a gathering. Along with her husband Laurence, she invites her neighbours, married couple Angela and Tony, and divorcee Sue over for some drinks. What begins as a rather awkward social gathering soon descends into a sniping, malicious evening of pretension and snobbery, which reveals the dark heart of the middle class dream of 1970's England. Beverley plies her guests with more and more booze, flirts outrageously with Tony and lambastes her downtrodden husband Laurence. The compressed aggression of the evening ratchets up ever more, until it ends in the only way it can, in a denouement of tragic circumstances.

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Additional Information

Dates

Previews from: 15 May 2012

Opening night: 18 May 2012

Audience

Abigail's Party is suitable for audiences aged 12 and upwards

Run time

Two hours with one interval

MASKS

You may be required to wear a mask during this performance. Please contact the venue directly for more information.

Cast and Creative

Cast

Jill Halfpenny as Beverly
Joe Absolom as Tony
Natalie Casey as Angela
Susannah Harker as Susan
Andy Nyman as Laurence

Creative

Written by Mike Leigh
Directed by Lindsay Posner
Designs and costumes by Mike Britton
Lighting by Howard Harrison
Sound by Fergus O’Hare

What you thought

1 reviews, average rating: (5.0 Stars)

5.0 star rating

Jan: “Abigail's Party”

Simply loved it, absolutely brilliant!!!! more

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