The comedy classic Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh arrived at the Theatre Royal this week. This piece of time capsule theatre set in 1970s suburbia features a dinner party from hell, hosted by Beverley and her husband Laurence, who invite round new neighbours Angela and Tony and divorcee Sue – who is escaping her teenage daughter Abigail’s first house party.
The attention to detail with cheese and pineapple, Demi Roussos records and the idea of “popping a bottle of Beaujolais in the fridge” had the audience chuckling at the ’70s references. As the story unfolds and the drinks start to flow, the relationships between the characters take centre stage – A loveless marriage with both too scared of losing their social status to separate, an abusive and controlling husband and a recent break-up.
Abigail’s Party was one of the original social embarrassment comedies with many recent offerings such as The Office, The Royal Family and The Thick of it following in its wake. With the excellent direction of Sarah Easdaile, the story centres on social climbing and the contrast of the changing role of men and women in the modern day world. The subtle nuances throughout really showcase the journey from the 1970s to present day in terms of progression for women and modern day relationships.
The success of this play lies within the clever characterisation and excellent performances from the small cast. The painfully shallow and bitchy character of Beverley is played to perfection by Jodie Prenger, who is best known as the winner of BBC hit I’d Do Anything, where she won the chance to play the role of Nancy in the West End revival of Oliver.
Her annoying nasal pitch voice while patronising her guests with thinly veiled “compliments” as she floats across the stage with an air of utter pretentiousness is a glorious homage to the original character featured in the BBC production of Abigail’s Party in 1977.
However Prenger also manages to gain sympathy from the audience as the story progresses with subtle nods to a softer picture of a woman who feels trapped in a loveless marriage but yet is unable to consider the idea of living independently.
Vicky Binns, a soap star veteran with long standing roles in Emmerdale and Coronation Street, plays the role of Angela who has moved to the neighbourhood with her husband and is desperate to fit in to the suburban hierarchy. Angela spends most of the party complimenting Beverley and her beautiful home while asking question after question, meanwhile failing to address the fact Beverley is fawning all over her handsome husband with some outrageous flirting that is almost cringe worthy to watch.
Calum Callaghan plays the unlikeable and controlling Tony, Angela’s husband, who contributes very little to the conversation other than an unenthusiastic “yes” every now and then and spends most of the play looking moody and difficult. Daniel Casey plays Laurence , whos marriage to Beverley descends into utter contempt in the second act resulting in a very dramatic ending.
When asked about the themes of the play, director Sarah Esdaile comments “My favourite moments in the theatre are where I feel moved and I laugh. The great thing about Abigail’s Party is that you often have both reactions at the same time. Humour, pain and pathos are classically connected to each other. I particularly enjoy those moments in the play where some of the audience are upset and disturbed by events that unfold and others are laughing hysterically- that kind of mixed response is very pleasing and exciting to me.”
A funny, thought-provoking and subtle look into suburban life in the 1970s.
Abigail’s Party runs until 9 February at the Theatre Royal