Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party kicked off its 3-week run this week at The MAC in the main theatre, complete with a 70’s themed menu in the restaurant, cocktails and of course some cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks (I think I had about 20 of them).
The play centres around 5 ‘friends’ who live on the same street, including Susan who is there for the evening to give her 15-year-old daughter, the titular Abigail, the freedom of her own house to have a party. The set is flawless, and a real time capsule of just how awful décor and fashions in the 70’s truly were. A brown hue on everything, a shag carpet up to your knees and of course the cheese and pineapple tin foiled hedgehog being passed around with wanton abandon.
As the drinks begin to flow the story unfolds with the true nature of our character coming to the fore. Prejudges are brought to light, flirtations occur, and nerves are thoroughly tested, especially between husband and wife.
With the scene set and Demis Roussos and Donna Summer playing in the background, the 5 characters are acted out exquisitely, headed by Belfast’s own Roisin Gallagher as the flirtatious host and accompanied with no less skill by Brigid Shine, Will Irvine, Craig Miller and Imogen Slaughter. Richard Croxford’s direction guides the play expertly, making sure to give fairly equal responsibilities to each character, to freshen up the play and make sure it sticks as well with today’s audiences as it did in 1970’s. No less evident to this skill is with how well Craig Miller brings the almost entirely mono-syllabic Tony to life using his physical presence to make up for his lack of killer lines. The crew make full use of the stage and setting, whilst still ensuring to keep the rhythm and pace required to have the audience roaring with laughter with only slight dips for the more tragic elements.
A great night at the theatre only marred by some truly awful decor!
Abigail’s Party runs until the 4th May at The MAC.
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