Abigail's Party

Mike Leigh’s play, Abigail’s Party, was a phenomenon in the 70’s and rose to huge acclaim by appearing not only in the theatre but on television. The main concept was dealing with people who had no boundaries when asking intrusive questions and eliciting personal responses that they felt could be discussed openly. Alongside this were the vain social pretensions of Beverly and Laurence. This was handled beautifully by the cast of Thurrock Courts Players. Who thought that eavesdropping on these awkward conversations would be so absorbing.? The resulting revelations left the audience gripped in the realisation of where the truth in people’s status and relationships really lie.

We were eased into the action gradually as the cast entered quietly one by one and started to set the scene for the ensuing gathering. The set was skilfully constructed by Vic Gray and proved the perfect backdrop of a suburban house. The props, both large and small, were exactly right for the period even down to the spinning ashtrays and globe cigarette lighter. The lava lamp was perched on top of the hifi system from which we were treated to various 70’s favourites. The mere mention of Estee Lauder’s Youth Dew drew nostalgic sighs from many of the audience. And what can I say about the living room bar!

Sophie Nash played Beverly, the hostess of this gathering, and bustled around the stage in a gorgeous ‘Margo’ style flowing green dress, offering and re-offering the classic hedgehog pineapple and cheese as well as enforced drinks and peanuts. She handled the overuse of all her guests’ Christian names to great effect and with a delightfully extended London drawl. For someone so young she managed the piercingly cruel and intrusive interrogation of her guests with her self-satisfied conclusions so well. She certainly warmed to the role as the play progressed and it was fascinating to see the subtle (and not so subtle) attraction developing towards ‘Tone’. She eagerly showed off her perfectly manicured house and Sophie, as Beverly, wove a fascinatingly mature thread throughout the socially awkward outward façade that concealed the frustrations and turmoil beneath the surface.

Laurence Moss, Beverly’s estate agent husband’ was played by Michael Southgate. He portrayed, beautifully, the bubbling anger and hostility towards his wife whilst remembering to be more accommodating to his guests. I was really touched by how he juggled empathy for Sue and the other guests against the seething relationship he enjoyed with his wife. 

Ange and Tone, (Angela and Tony) were the newly arrived couple in the street. Lily Edmeades, as Ange, was a lovely follower of Beverly’s lead and showed exactly the right balance between being polite and wishing to fit in with a nurse’s common sense. This was confidently done as was her concealment of the difficult relationship she had with her husband, Tony. Max Faulkner took on the role of Tone, a man who would rather have been anywhere but at this gathering. Although the character is monosyllabic in most of his responses, he did show an awakening of interest in his hostess when she was dancing suggestively with him. This was nicely underplayed and was a great illustration of someone who has lost interest in his wife, her social aspirations and her blossoming friendships. I’d say he was a great social ‘lump’ but in a good way that fitted the script!

Jill Snelling as Sue was, as ever, masterly. She portrayed the uncomfortable single mother of Abigail to perfection. Her difficulty juggling drinks, handbags, food and her worry about her punk daughter’s behaviour at the party was wonderful. We heard every word of her reluctant dialogue and could read every nuance that passed across her face. A fantastic performance as usual.

The pace and fluency of the play was really smooth and we were never left hanging for the next intervention or line. Director George Andelon has done a great job in pulling this show through to its fascinating conclusion.

Sound was a little quiet and, when actors dropped their voices or spoke very quickly, it was difficult to decipher all the dialogue. I think a little fine tuning to the positioning of the stage mics, and the actor’s delivery when not wearing head mics, will result in a wonderful freedom for both actors and technicians on the Thameside stage.

This was a great undertaking by Thurrock Courts Players as a whole, and resulted in a performance that they should be very proud of.

Many thanks for your warm hospitality.

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.