★★★★

“the golden Outhwaite’s masterclass in subtle bitchery is unforgettable”

Mike Leigh’s 1977 biting social satire about a suburban drinks party which becomes horribly dark is a hugely popular modern classic, as witnessed by the man in the seat next to me reciting the play along with the cast. Apart from Leigh’s brilliant writing, another major reason for the popularity of Abigail’s Party was the iconic performance of Alison Steadman as Beverley, the party’s monstrous hostess, in the original production adapted for the BBC.

However, in Nadia Fall’s production, a mesmerising Tamzin Outhwaite makes Beverley her own. From the moment the curtain rises to Donna Summer’s Love to Love You Baby revealing Outhwaite on top of a glass-topped coffee table, dressed in a glittering, golden yellow kaftan and blue platform heels and strutting her stuff underneath disco lights, it’s clear that this is one hot hostess who is not afraid to use her sexual allure to manipulate.

Beverley is hosting drinks and nibbles for her new neighbours, gauche young nurse Angela (Ashna Rabheru) and her monosyllabic computer operator husband Tony (Omar Malik), plus stoic and sensible divorced Sue (Pandora Colin), whose daughter Abigail is having a teenage party at their home. Lawrence (Kevin Bishop), Beverley’s husband, pops in and out, being more devoted to his estate agent job at Wibley Webb than to his marriage. Given Beverley’s sneering, dismissive attitude towards him, you can’t blame him.

The initial party small-talk is excruciatingly embarrassing but hilarious; one new big laugh in the current production certainly wouldn’t have raised a smile in 1977 – Angela’s comment that they bought their house for £21,000. Beverley, naturally, is very keen to point out that it’s much smaller than her own abode, but this is far from where the sneering stops.

Beverley dishes out cigarettes from an onyx box, and drink after drink from a well-stocked cocktail cabinet, to her guests with almost the same gusto as she dishes out her barbed comments. She tells Angela that she’s wearing the wrong shade of lipstick; comments on Sue’s marital status, and constantly snipes at Lawrence. And as if that alone doesn’t make her soiree embarrassing, she is keen to impose her musical tastes on her guests – Demis Roussos and Elvis Presley.

It’s clear that Beverley has the hots for handsome ex-footballer Tony, and the drunker she gets, the more she pouts and flirts with him. Lawrence is clearly weary of this behaviour, and indeed anything she does, and Kevin Bishop portrays his pent-up rage perfectly, with subtle facial tics and a tension in his body that means he could go off at any moment. Abigail’s Party is certainly a comedy, but one which contains an incredible amount of tension which makes the audience gasp.

Peter McKintosh’s groovy set, with flowery graphic wallpaper, leather sofa and massive console unit containing the cocktail cabinet, record player and a fibre lamp which mesmerises Beverley, perfectly sums up the era’s taste. My one quibble was that the kitchen units were more noughties than Seventies, shiny and white with silver handles; they should have been as uniformly brown as the rest of the set.

The kitchen was the only wrong note in this excellent production, however. The ensemble are terrific, and the golden Outhwaite’s masterclass in subtle bitchery is unforgettable.

GUYS & DOLLS at the Bridge Theatre

★★★★★

“Hytner’s production is a thrilling experience full of surprises”

Guys & Dolls has been playing at the Bridge Theatre since March 2023 in Nicholas Hytner’s reimagined production which turns the 1950s Broadway musical into full-on immersive production. Its final cast change before its announced closure in January sees Gina Beck taking over as Sarah Brown, also joined by Michael Simkins as Arvide Abernathy. They join members of the previous cast include Owain Arthur, Timmika Ramsay and Jonathan Andrew Hume, as Nathan Detroit, Miss Adelaide and Nicely-Nicely Johnson, respectively.

If you’re not familiar with the story beyond the parody in The Simpsons, it follows Nathan Detroit’s illegal floating crap game, which he hides from financée of 14 years Miss Adelaide. When Detroit places a bet with gambler Sky Masterson that he must take a woman of Detroit’s choosing to Havana, Masterson (George Ioannides) has to try and impress leader of the Save-a-Soul mission, Sarah Brown. What follows is two side-by-side relationship stories alongside visits to the Hotbox nightclub where Adelaide performs.

Hytner’s production is a thrilling experience full of surprises. Half the audience are stood on and around Bunny Christie’s set which sees stage pieces rise and fall for scenes to be played on before the action quickly moves somewhere else. The work of the stage management team in this production is a feat in itself, as they usher audiences around the moving set pieces, bringing on street lamps, staircases, and even at one moment managing to catch the underwear thrown offstage by the Hotbox dancers.

Having seen the original cast, the newcomers have a lot to live up to, and they absolutely make this show and the roles their own. Ramsay is electric as Miss Adelaide. With expansive vocals, she tears the stage apart with “A Bushel and a Peck”, in a number which is sexy, playful, and shows off a star performance. She brings great comedy to “Adelaide’s Lament” and the rapport with co-star Arthur is sharp and fiery, particularly in their second act duet “Sue Me”, which plays the line between lust and frustration to perfection.

Gina Beck follows previous leading lady roles, including Glinda in Wicked and, more recently, Maria in Chichester’s production of The Sound of Music last year. She is very held together as Sarah Brown before letting her hair down and spinning around lamp posts in “If I Were a Bell”, thanks to Arlene Phillips and James Cousin’s choreography. Her voice has gorgeous, crystal-clear operatic tones. She plays against Ioannides, who also returns to the show, and their verision of “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” is a total delight. Likewise, Simkins’ rendition of “More I Cannot Wish You”, which he sings to Beck, has a real sense of warmth and wisdom which is very touching.

The best number of the show though is saved for Nicely-Nicely Johnson, and is perhaps the best known number “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”. Quite hilariously, the number serves very little plot purpose, other than being a distraction so the General doesn’t cotton on to schemes of the crap game players. Cedric Neal received an Olivier Award nomination for originating this role, so again big boots to fill. Hume is fantastic. His Nicely-Nicely is warm, engaging and a little bit cheeky and he looks like he’s having the absolute time of his life performing this number, which in turn lets the audience have a great time as well. The crowd cheer as he encourages the orchestra to give him an encore and the whole room gets involved clapping along.

If you’re going to revive a 70-year-old musical which is, let’s be honest, rather dated in its plot, then this is the way to do it. It never tries to say ‘this is now’ but instead unapologetically transports us to a different time altogether and gives us an evening of thorough entertainment.

Guys & Dolls plays at the Bridge until January so if you haven’t yet made it along to this 5-Star production make sure that you do. There’s nothing else quite like it!

Tag Archives: James Cousins

ABIGAIL’S PARTY

★★★★

Theatre Royal Stratford East

ABIGAIL’S PARTY at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

★★★★

“the golden Outhwaite’s masterclass in subtle bitchery is unforgettable”

ABIGAIL’S PARTY at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

Reviewed on 13th September 2024

by Clair Woodward

Photography by Mark Senior

Previously reviewed at this venue:

NOW, I SEE | ★★★★ | May 2024

CHEEKY LITTLE BROWN | ★★★½ | April 2024

THE BIG LIFE | ★★★★★ | February 2024

BEAUTIFUL THING | ★★★★★ | September 2023

ABIGAIL’S PARTY

ABIGAIL’S PARTY

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

GUYS & DOLLS

★★★★★

Bridge Theatre

GUYS & DOLLS at the Bridge Theatre

★★★★★

“Hytner’s production is a thrilling experience full of surprises”