Abigail's Party is a play for stage and television written in 1977 by Mike Leigh. A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Mike Leigh, OBE (born February 20, 1943) is an English film and theatre director screenwriter and playwright It is a suburban situation comedy of manners, and a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that emerged in Britain in the 1970s. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. The comedy of manners satirizes the manners and affectations of a Social class, often represented by Stock characters, such as the Miles gloriosus Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The play developed in lengthy improvisations during which Mike Leigh explored the characters with the actors, but would not always reveal the incidents that would occur during the play. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works
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Performances
The television version was abridged from over two hours to 100 minutes with only one major change; the record played by Beverly in the original stage production at the Hampstead Theatre was "Light My Fire" by José Feliciano and in the TV production it was "For Ever and Ever" by Demis Roussos. A teleplay is a drama which is Telecast using many of the same constraints as a theater piece (limited Scenery, cast Special effects) Hampstead Theatre is a Theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage, in the London Borough of Camden. José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) is a Puerto Rican singer and guitarist Artemios (Demis Ventouris Roussos (born June 15, 1946) is a Greek singer It was shown as part of the BBC's Play for Today series. Play for Today was a British television anthology drama series produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984
Original cast
The original play starred Alison Steadman as Beverley, and Tim Stern as her husband Laurence. Alison Steadman OBE (born on August 26 1946) is anaward-winning English stage film TV and radio actress. They are holding a drinks party for their new neighbours Angela (Janine Duvitski), and her husband Tony (John Salthouse). Janine Duvitski (born 1952 is an English Actress, known for her roles as Jane Edwards in Waiting For God and Pippa Trench in John Salthouse (born 16 June, 1951) is a British actor and producer They also invite Susan (Thelma Whiteley), another neighbour. Abigail herself is never seen – she is Susan's 15-year-old daughter, who is holding her first teenage party next door. Unseen characters are never directly observed by the audience but are only described by other characters For the television version the original cast reprised their roles, with the exception of Thelma Whiteley, who declined to re-appear and was subsequently replaced by Harriet Reynolds. A teleplay is a drama which is Telecast using many of the same constraints as a theater piece (limited Scenery, cast Special effects)
Each of the original cast largely devised the back story to their characters. In Narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story John Salthouse brought his early career as a footballer with Crystal Palace FC to that of Tony. Crystal Palace FC is an English football club based in South Norwood, London. According to Leigh, discussions at the improvised sessions included whether Beverly's name should have a third 'e' or not. The most complex relationship was worked out between Angela and Tony, the background being that Tony fell for Angela when she was his nurse in hospital. Little of this is disclosed during the narrative, although something of it becomes apparent when Angela steps in to care first for Sue, then the stricken Laurence, and the centre of power between the couple starts to shift noticeably.
Characters
- Beverly Moss - She smokes, she drinks and she drives . . . her husband Laurence to distraction. A department store make-up representative, she has failed her driving test a few times. During the play, she flirts with Tony and is always trying to impress her guests. She considers her taste in music (Jose Feliciano/Demis Roussos, Tom Jones) and art (kitsch erotica) to be every bit as good as that of her husband. José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) is a Puerto Rican singer and guitarist Artemios (Demis Ventouris Roussos (born June 15, 1946) is a Greek singer Tom Jones can refer to Tom Jones (singer (born 1940 Welsh pop music singer Tommy Lee Jones (born 1946 American actor and director Kitsch /kɪtʃ/ is a term of German or Yiddish origin that has been used to categorize art that is considered an inferior tasteless copy of an existing Erotica (from the Greek Eros —"desire" or "curiosa" works of art including literature, photography film sculpture Immensely proud of her home, she nonetheless admits that she cannot use the gadgets of her kitchen. Despite her 'sophisticated' tastes and carefully groomed appearance, she was memorably described by Alan Bennett as having "shoulders like a docker, with a walk to match. Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934 is an English Author and Tony Award -winning Playwright. "
- Laurence Moss - Estate Agent Laurence is Beverly's husband, with whom he frequently argues. Estate Agent is a British English term for a person or business that arranges the selling renting or management of Homes land and other He aspires to the finer things in life: leather-bound Shakespeare (which he admits he never reads), prints of Van Gogh and Lowry paintings, and Beethoven, which he enforces on his guests at unfortunate moments. William Shakespeare ( baptised Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. He seems powerless to compete with Beverly's more flamboyant persona, and consequentially overworks, as his wife points out on several occasions. He considers a brisk handshake to be correct practice after a dance.
- Angela - Nurse Tony's wife. A nurse is responsible—along with other Health care Professionals —for the treatment safety and recovery of acutely or chronically Appears very meek. She can't drive, as Tony doesn't want her to. Interested in the mundane and commonplace, much to her husband's annoyance, she comes into her own when Sue feels queasy and after Laurence suffers a heart attack.
- Tony - He works in computers and used to play professional football for Crystal Palace F.C. but it "didn't work out". A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Crystal Palace FC is an English football club based in South Norwood, London. His feelings towards Angela are mixed: on the one hand she cared for him when he was injured; on the other hand she is a constant reminder of the inury that wrecked his footballing career. Beverly flirts with him in the second half of the play, much to the annoyance of Laurence.
- Susan Lawson - Sue was getting divorced at the same time the other characters were getting married, as kindly pointed out by Angela. She is a quiet character who doesn't really have the courage to say no. She is the only female visibly not 'dressed-up' for the gathering. She clearly would rather be elsewhere, and on several occasions she attempts to leave, only to be buttonholed by Beverly. As originally created, she towers over the diminutive Laurence, with Beverly's exhortations for her to dance with Laurence only compounding her awkwardness.
Plot
The plot is very simple - Susan represents the upper middle class, Beverly and Laurence the aspirational middle middle class and Tony and Angela the "new arrivals" and lower middle class. The comedy arises from Beverly's inept attempts to help Angela and Tony, which have their roots in her sense of class superiority, and Susan, which has it roots in the fact that she is married. As the alcohol takes effect, Beverly flirts more and more overtly with Tony, as Laurence sits impotently by. In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon After a tirade about art, he suffers a fatal heart attack. Within this simple framework, all of the obsessions, prejudices, fears and petty competitiveness of the protagonists are ruthlessly exposed.
Critical response
Channel 4's reviewer said: "Abigail's Party still ranks as the most painful hundred minutes in British comedy-drama. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began "
In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, Abigail's Party was placed 11th. The British Film Institute ( BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film television 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It also appeared in a Radio Times poll to find the top 40 greatest TV shows on British television, published in August 2003. For the US radio series see WHYY-FM. Radio Times is the BBC 's weekly Television and Radio programme August 2003: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August -
Several critics (notably Tom Paulin[1]) have responded more negatively, noting that Abigail's Party appears to represent a middle-class schadenfreude, with the only true middle class character, Sue, looking on at the antics of the couples with disdain. Thomas Neilson Paulin (born January 25, 1949 in Leeds, England) is a Northern Irish Poet Schadenfreude (ˈʃaːdənˌfʁɔʏ̯də) is enjoyment taken from the misfortune of someone else Nonetheless Leigh has responded that none of this prevents the characters (Beverly and Laurence in particular) reflecting the real-life behaviours of aspiring couples in mid 1970s suburbia. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Other aspects of the narrative which appear to conform to this stereotype (the naive storing of beaujolais in the refrigerator) have now become accepted as 'correct' practice. Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC Wine generally made of the Gamay Grape which has a thin A refrigerator (often called a " fridge " for short is a cooling appliance comprising a thermally insulated compartment and a Heat pump - [2]
Current situation
In 2003 the TV version was released on a BBC video and DVD. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is In the same year the play was staged in London's West End, with Elizabeth Berrington as Beverly. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" Elizabeth Berrington (born 3 August 1970) is an English Actress, who has featured in many popular British television series' such as The play was revived in Wolverhampton at the Grand Theatre (2005), and at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter (2006). Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. It is currently on tour across the UK, produced by London Classic Theatre.
See also
References
External links
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