ABIGAILS PARTY
By Mike Leigh
With: Ben Ager, Julie Hudspeth, Brian Meegan, Tara Morice, Queenie van de Zandt
Director: Mark KilmurryDesigner: Graham Maclean
Lighting Designer: Matthew Marshall
A sparkling, maliciously poison-toothed satire about keeping up with the neighbours.
Beverly and Laurence entertain their new neighbours, Angela and Tony, with drinks and snacks. Another neighbour, Susan, is also invited because her teenage daughter, Abigail, is having a party a few doors away and mums are definitely not welcome. Beverly wants to have fun, dance, drink. Laurence wants to have serious conversation about art, music, Dickens. Small talk, bad music and awkward dances follow in this hilarious, dark and biting comedy from the master of human foibles, Mike Leigh.
Abigails Party is a cult classic stage play and television play which was developed by director Mike Leigh and his actors through a series of improvisations. When it aired on television in 1979 it was watched by over 16 million viewers. A satirical take on the new middle class which emerged in Britain in the 1970s, Abigails Party has remained one of the most popular plays of the last 30 years with numerous revivals occurring in the UK and USA.
Mark Kilmurrys most recent directing credits include Mary Stuart, Tuesdays With Morrie and Little Nell. He has assembled a stellar cast including Tara Morice (Strictly Ballroom, Grass Roots) who returns to the Ensemble stage where her appearances include the plays Spinning Into Butter, Sweet Road and the World Premiere production of Nick Enrights Mongrels. Queenie van de Zandt has won accolades for her self-created character Jan van de Stool in the hit comedy I Get the Music In You: An Evening with Jan van de Stool which has played seasons in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Queenie won the Glugs Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Ensembles production of Rabbit Hole and has been nominated for many awards including The Green Room, The Helpmanns and the Mo Awards. Ben Ager and Julie Hudspeth were most recently seen in the Ensembles production of Mary Stuart and Brian Meegans work for the Ensemble includes Chapter Two, The Boys Next Door, Art and Wrong for Each Other.
be sure to save an evening for Abigails PartyExquisite, in fact, sums up the whole of Abigails Party, despite the grotesque depiction of men and women striving desperately to have fun. Failing spectacularly, they ensure that the audience, at least, has a very good time. Cheers to that! NEW YORK TIMES
you feel the exhilarating, voyeuristic rush that accompanies not watching a play but secretly viewing a group of ordinary people behind a partially collapsed wall. TALKIN BROADWAY
SEASON DETAILS: ABIGAILS PARTY
VENUE: Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall Street, Kirribilli, NSW, 2061
DATES: Previews: Mar 19 25, opens Mar 26, plays to 2 May 2009
PERFORMANCES: TueFri 8.15pm, Sat 5pm & 8.30pm, Sun 5pm, Thurs 11am
PRICES: $39 - $63 (booking charges may apply)
BOOKINGS: 02 9929 0644 or www.ensemble.com.au
FURTHER INFORMATION / INTERVIEWS / IMAGES please contact:
Merran Doyle 0419 999 607 or Kate Raison 0402 080 443 at Merran Doyle Publicity:
(02) 9905 4644 email: merran@merrandoyle.com.au or kate@merrandoyle.com.au
NB: PRODUCTION PHOTOS DOWNLOADABLE from Ensemble Theatre website:
www.ensemble.com.au - media password to download images: Emedia
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@JasonBrownUK what do you mean. they all sounded British to me.
Alphabex8 9 months ago
God I hope they played it with the proper accents!
JasonBrownUK 1 year ago