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Review: Abigail's Party (Feb 2001)
One of the BATS best for years, actually
IT'S been a surprise over recent years that no local theatre group has, until now, thought to stage Mike Leigh's darkly comic Abigail's Party. This 70s masterpiece has been sadly neglected even though it often shows up in TV viewers' polls, so it was a treat to see the BATS grasp the nettle and put it on as their in-the-round production. And to what effect! The five-strong ensemble cast clearly had their hearts in it to such an extent that audiences over the weekend were captivated from start to finish as laugh succeeded laugh. Peter Bradbury's direction and the actors' teamwork ensured a brisk pace and brilliant timing so that none of the lines were wasted or lost.
The action takes place during just one evening, when a couple invite in their new neighbours for drinks. They also invite a local single mother, who's on tenterhooks all night because her teenage daugh-ter is having a party. As the drinks flow, each per-sonality becomes more obviously exposed. All thoughts of Alison Steadman were forgotten with Sophie Bradbury's Beverly, the appallingly ego-centric, frustrated wife who grinds her husband under her four-inch heel.
Sophie wisely didn't try to emulate Steadman but made the role her own, with a nicely-judged patro-nising attitude to her poor neighbours, a thinly dis-guised shrewishness towards her husband and a descent into drunkenness which was never over the top, actually.
Newcomer Heidi Haddow showed herself to be a huge asset to the BATS team. As the drippy Angela, who can't stop herself saying the wrong thing even though she knows she's alienating her husband, Heidi immersed, herself in the part. Her portrayal of the pathetic, eager-to-please Angela was hilarious with a very moving undertone. The ease with which she moved from being a professional nurse dealing with an emergency to writhing in agonising cramp was brilliantly done and broke the tension - and the audience erupted yet again. David Whatley as the taciturn Tony, Angela's hus-band who's obviously thinking he did the wrong thing in marrying her, also brought the house down with his monosyllabic answers to Beverly's nosey questions and Angela's constant referrals. Whilst not exactly having a lot of lines to learn, David's dead-pan performance of this man of few words was a delight.
The hyper-active, workaholic Lawrence was equally ably played by Mark Alien as he dashed around try-ing to attend to his work, his guests and his increas-ingly demanding wife. Another role which called for spot-on timing and unflagging energy was deft-ly handled.
Verena Calegari as Sue, the rather refined neigh-bour worried sick about her daughter's party and clearly suffering at this hellish party, was also entertaining in the understated way the part requires. Whether taking her turn under the spot-light of Beverly's fleeting attention or just sitting uncommunicatively and worrying, Verena as Sue managed to reveal a whole range of emotions - including an unexpected outburst at the climactic point.
This must be one of the BATS' best productions in quite a long time. Let me put it to you this way: the obvious pleasure the cast took in the play was transmitted to the audience to make a hugely enjoy-able evening.
- Deb Scott-Bromley, Bexhill Observer, 2/3/01
Review reproduced by permission
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