Abigail's Party

Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party is never a comfortable watch - but that's part of the reason we love it so! Beverley is a truly horrible, shallow, self-obsessed person yet she, and her victims are never too far from the truth. A true period piece that takes you straight back to the early 70's; pretentious, plastic and cringe-worthy ... but perhaps you had to have been there.

Thanks to the fabulous film, Amanda Abbington has the tricky task of making the part of Beverley her own .... and she does it marvellously, she is as obnoxious as they come and twice as annoying! Ben Caplan's Laurence is distracted and short tempered whilst Ciaran Owen is grumpy and rude - both pitch perfect but this is not about the men! Rose Keegan's Sue is the calm centre - at first I thought her delivery a bit slow but it counterpoints beautifully with the mad verbal diahorrea of Beverley and the dotty Angela played by Charlotte Mills who really comes into her own in the second half and provides a delightful and watchable portrayal.

A brilliant set, excellent pace and good on-stage sound complete a delightful bit of theatre from a confident and professional team ...