I never saw 'Abigail's Party' in 1977 and seemed to have missed the repeats, so I was grateful to 'The Observer' for giving the D.V.D. away last Sunday. It was devised and directed by the talented Mike Leigh, with the dialogue improvised by the cast.
It centres around a posh party thrown by overbearing Beverly ( Alison Steadman ) and her control freak husband Lawrence ( Tim Stern ). They have invited their neighbours - divorcée Susan ( Harriet Reynolds ) and husband-and-wife Angela ( the wonderful Janine Duvitski ) and Tony ( John Salthouse ).
Beverly's taste in music extends as far as Tom Jones and Demis Roussos ( the obese Greek who got to No.1 in Britain in the mid-'70's with 'Forever & Ever' ) and her idea of art is tacky pseudo-porn. Lawrence fancies himself as an art buff, listens to James Galway, and brags about owning 'The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare', despite never having read a word. Angela is every bit as vapid as Beverly, and while they chat Tony looks thoroughly embarrassed. He is like a volcano waiting to erupt and at the end, does.
Poor Susan has gone to the party mainly to escape from the one her daughter, the Abigail of the title, is currently throwing. From all accounts it sounds like the orgy of the century. She too is a reluctant guest ( and vomits in the bathroom at one point ). Beverley's probing questions about her failed marriage causes her distress, but the hostess appears not to notice.
So you have an interesting mix of characters here. Lawrence and Beverly are perfect examples of people trying to be something they are not. Another reviewer claims this is a revealing snap-shot of '70's life, but I beg to differ. Change the fashions, alter a few details here and there, and the story would work now. We've all been to parties like this, where the men are sidelined by the women ( I went to one in June ), and we've all met a dozen or so social-climbers like 'Beverly'. The era in which it was made is irrelevant.
Nothing much happens over the course of 101 minutes ( Lawrence and Beverly row over art, and he experiences a fatal heart attack ), but the dialogue is believable and performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Alison Steadman as the dreadful, self-obsessed 'Beverly'. She has been rightly described as the prototype for 'Edina' from 'Absolutely Fabulous'. Chain smoking, talking rubbish, flirting openly with her male guests, she is a total pain ( though admittedly very sexy! ). Janine Duvitski's 'Angela' likewise has much in common with 'Pippa', her 'One Foot In The Grave' character.
Like the title character in 'Waiting For Godot', Abigail is only talked about but never seen. In the years since its broadcast, the play has acquired a cult following, and some fans stage their own parties by way of tribute. So thanks to the 'Observer' for letting me have a good laugh for free. The accompanying article, however, featured the likes of Arabella Weir, Julia Davis, and Tony Holland all claiming to have derived inspiration from Mike Leigh's play. In what way? 'Abigail's Party' was funny!
It centres around a posh party thrown by overbearing Beverly ( Alison Steadman ) and her control freak husband Lawrence ( Tim Stern ). They have invited their neighbours - divorcée Susan ( Harriet Reynolds ) and husband-and-wife Angela ( the wonderful Janine Duvitski ) and Tony ( John Salthouse ).
Beverly's taste in music extends as far as Tom Jones and Demis Roussos ( the obese Greek who got to No.1 in Britain in the mid-'70's with 'Forever & Ever' ) and her idea of art is tacky pseudo-porn. Lawrence fancies himself as an art buff, listens to James Galway, and brags about owning 'The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare', despite never having read a word. Angela is every bit as vapid as Beverly, and while they chat Tony looks thoroughly embarrassed. He is like a volcano waiting to erupt and at the end, does.
Poor Susan has gone to the party mainly to escape from the one her daughter, the Abigail of the title, is currently throwing. From all accounts it sounds like the orgy of the century. She too is a reluctant guest ( and vomits in the bathroom at one point ). Beverley's probing questions about her failed marriage causes her distress, but the hostess appears not to notice.
So you have an interesting mix of characters here. Lawrence and Beverly are perfect examples of people trying to be something they are not. Another reviewer claims this is a revealing snap-shot of '70's life, but I beg to differ. Change the fashions, alter a few details here and there, and the story would work now. We've all been to parties like this, where the men are sidelined by the women ( I went to one in June ), and we've all met a dozen or so social-climbers like 'Beverly'. The era in which it was made is irrelevant.
Nothing much happens over the course of 101 minutes ( Lawrence and Beverly row over art, and he experiences a fatal heart attack ), but the dialogue is believable and performances are uniformly excellent, particularly Alison Steadman as the dreadful, self-obsessed 'Beverly'. She has been rightly described as the prototype for 'Edina' from 'Absolutely Fabulous'. Chain smoking, talking rubbish, flirting openly with her male guests, she is a total pain ( though admittedly very sexy! ). Janine Duvitski's 'Angela' likewise has much in common with 'Pippa', her 'One Foot In The Grave' character.
Like the title character in 'Waiting For Godot', Abigail is only talked about but never seen. In the years since its broadcast, the play has acquired a cult following, and some fans stage their own parties by way of tribute. So thanks to the 'Observer' for letting me have a good laugh for free. The accompanying article, however, featured the likes of Arabella Weir, Julia Davis, and Tony Holland all claiming to have derived inspiration from Mike Leigh's play. In what way? 'Abigail's Party' was funny!