“a well-crafted reply to the undertones of Mike Leigh’s play”
‘Abi’, a contemporary response piece to Abigail’s Party, is a one woman play in which Abigail’s granddaughter navigates growing up, family, and figments of the past.
The repurposed set of the party is punctuated with cardboard boxes. The play begins, once again, with a dance. This music, however, is played through a phone connected to a wireless speaker. Abi is having a party at her grandmother, Abigail’s, house even though Abigail is in hospital at the moment. Luke is due to be the first to arrive. They’ve been talking online for months now and this will be her first chance to meet him and her naive optimism becomes increasingly painful to watch.
Atiha Sen Gupta draws some very clever parallels between the original play and her response, drawing us down a completely unanticipated path, in a well-crafted reply to the undertones of Mike Leigh’s earlier play. The piece manages to find the balance between conversational entertainment and politically engaged material, considering race, gender, sex education, online relationships and sexual assault.
The writing does occasionally meander slightly unnaturally, but it is carried by Safiyya Ingar who, as Abi, is warm, immediately likeable and full of energy. Her impressions, too, are sharp and recognisable. Ingar delivers a fantastic performance and is a pleasure to watch.
This is an engaged, genuine and contemporary response to ‘Abigail’s Party’, uncovering the darker underside of Abigail’s party decades earlier, delivered by a brilliant performance from Safiyya Ingar.
Reviewed by Amelia Brown
Photography by Mark Sepple
Abi
Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch until 22nd September
Related
Abigail’s Party is running alongside Abi – review here
The yellow heavily-patterned wallpaper, the orange lava lamp and beige leather sofas create Lee Newby’s wonderful set, dragged straight out of the seventies.
Beverly puts a record on, pours herself a drink, lights a cigarette and begins to dance. She is having a party, the neighbours are coming round. But Abigail, Susan’s fifteen year old daughter, is also having a party next door. This is the opening to Mike Leigh’s ‘Abigail’s Party’ which was first written in 1977, and considers class, relationships and the culture of suburbia. Certainly some topical points of discussion in today’s society, though these contemporary parallels could be more heavily delved into. The production hints at these more poignant moments, but shies away from truly exploring them. Ivan Stott’s sound design has the familiar seventies records which punctuate the play underscored with a throbbing base from next door, a consistent reminder of the speed with which culture changes.
There isn’t a weak link across the cast. Amy Downham’s Angela is lively, warm and vivid, with fantastic comic timing. Susie Emmett as Susan is a lovely presence on stage, grounded and subtle in her performance. Melanie Gutteridge plays the overbearing Beverly, topping up everyone’s glasses and dancing too close to Tony (Liam Bergin) as she insists on another record. Bergin’s Tony feels slightly uncertain, a harmless, comic presence initially that makes the later revelations about his character less convincing, or perhaps the dichotomy isn’t pushed far enough. Some of the strongest moments come as the company sits in silence together, shuffling awkwardly, a strong comic motif of the production.
Towards the second half of the play, there begins a tendency toward the farcical which makes the ending feel slightly confused, neither emotionally impactful nor overly funny. The shock effect is not felt in the way it should be, and the reactions to the situation feel somewhat ingenuine.
This is a lively revival of Mike Leigh’s classic, supported by strong performances but in need of a more impactful finale.
Reviewed by Amelia Brown
Photography by Mark Sepple
Abigail’s Party
Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch until 22nd September
Related
Abi, a contemporary response to Abigail’s Party by Atiha Sen Gupta is running alongside Abigail’s Party – review here
