La soirée s’annonce tranquille, conviviale, chaleureuse. A middle-aged, intelligent divorcee, and now single mother, we are led to believe that Sue has been invited over by Beverly in order to ‘save’ her from her fifteen-year-old daughter’s (Abigail) party in a neighbouring property. "Abigail’s Party is a true British classic and a real bucket-list part for me," says Jodie, who will lead the cast as brash party host Beverly Moss on a tour running from today to April 20. The party is held in Beverly and Laurence’s home and the set and furniture were true to the time, including a red leather suite and a lava lamp. To honour her passion for musical theatre in particular, in 2015, she started her blog, ‘Jodie Prenger is excellent as Beverly’: ABIGAIL’S PARTY – Touring ★★★★★, Olivia Mitchell, published on 5 April 2019, Tweets by https://twitter.com/MyTheatreMates/, ‘It’s full of joy’: Matthew Harvey invites you to watch the digital production of his song cycle Now Or Never, ‘Honouring the profound truths of these stories’: SAFE – Hackney Empire (Online review), NEWS: West End transfer & tour announced for Oleanna, ‘Melodically spot-on & lyrically fun’: I WISH MY LIFE WERE LIKE A MUSICAL – King’s Head Theatre (Online review), FEATURED POST: S&S Theatre Productions’ launch is a ‘natural extension’ of its namesake award, says composer & winner Tim Gilvin, ‘Powerful, personal & poignant’: TALKING GODS – Arrows & Traps (Online review), NEWS: 23 young producers make their West End debuts in Nimax Theatres’ Rising Stars Festival, ‘Delightfully done’: VESPERTILIO – King’s Head Theatre (Online review), ‘Wonderfully sleek & heartfelt’: IN PIECES – Stream.Theatre (Online review) ★★★★, NEWS: Leopoldstadt returns to the West End from August 2021. Which he does! Tensions boil over during Beverly Moss’ neighborly soirée. | 1977 | United Kingdom When teenager Abigail throws a party for her friends, her next-door neighbour, Beverly Moss, does likewise for the adults - inviting Abigail's mum, Sue, and neighbours Tony and Angela. It sank under its own immense condescension." Abigail, 15, is holding her first teenage party. Paul Taylor . Jump to navigation. Beverly Moss Laurence Moss Tony Cooper Angela Cooper Susan Lawson: Date premiered: April 1977 (1977-04) Place premiered: Hampstead Theatre London: Original language: English: Abigail's Party is a play for stage and television, devised and directed in 1977 by Mike Leigh. Dominic Cavendish Abigail's Party at the Hampstead Theatre. In the town of Rochester, Kent, the anticipation of a... After a road accident, an attractive girl recovers consciousness in a strange room. Set in the 1970s Abigail’s Party tells the story of Beverly and Laurence Moss who invite the new comers to the street, Angela and Tony Cooper, for drinks. With Lucy Calvert, Alan Kelly, Anna McConnell, Michael Vinsen. Beverly’s husband Laurence comes home late from work, just before the guests arrive. Ixn which I make a fool of myself with two (or three) quite famous people, discover Laurel and Hardy in the UK’s Lake District, berate touchy creatives who complain about fame, and match UK TV characters Beverly from Abigail’s Party and Alan Partridge It was a star-making performance that firmly established Abigail's Party as the most celebrated TV play of the 1970s and enhanced the reputation of Mike Leigh who had won critical acclaim the year before with Nuts in May. The terrain is "the London side of Essex", "theoretical Romford" according to Leigh. Vicky Binns plays Angela, the slightly naïve and very eager to please nurse, who is new to the area and neighbour of Beverly and Laurence. Published on November 26th, 2018. We watch as Beverly’s stressed husband, Laurence (played by Daniel Casey) deals with yet another business matter on the telephone whilst she looks on irritably; just one of many fractious moments which go on to scatter the evening. The atmosphere at Abigail’s Party can be felt from the Moss home, where another couple, Angela and Tony, are also over for drinks, but neither Abigail nor her party are ever seen. Abigail’s Party does not disappoint, and whilst nothing could ever match up to such a classic piece of work as the original, this production is full of laughs, perfect details and moments that will leave you squirming in your seat (in a good way!) It also became the first production on everyone's lips whenever they discussed the BBC anthology series Play for Today, under which banner it was broadcast. This role was famously played by the inimitable Alison Steadman in the original, and whilst these are gold heels which are impossible to fill, Jodie Prenger is excellent as Beverly. In Opinion, Plays, Regional theatre, Reviews, Touring by Olivia Mitchell5th April 2019Leave a Comment, Touring – reviewed at Orchard Theatre, Dartford Laurence is Beverly's husband, and the pair frequently argue. Beverly's husband Laurence comes home late from work, just before the guests arrive. Laurence Moss is the main antagonist of the BBC "Play for Today" Abigail's Party.. It is the fraught and somewhat uncomfortable moments between each of the warring couples which occasionally give the play a slightly unhappier tinge, as the sometimes-awkward laughter from the audience suggests. When repeated for a second time in August 1979, around 16 million people watched. Beverly Moss invites her new neighbours, Angela and Tony, who moved into the road just two weeks ago, over for drinks. Beverly’s husband Laurence comes home late from work, just before the guests arrive. The play was dominated by Alison Steadman's compelling performance as the social climbing, overbearing hostess without any tact or guile. Abigail’s Party is one of Britain’s most celebrated comedies and was described by The Guardian as ‘One of the greatest plays about the human condition ever written’ In preparation for its much anticipated run of performances, Brighton Journal caught up with the leading duo. It's a case of Who's Afraid of Beverly Moss? It’s hard to remember as there are so many wonderful things about her. The only other change was that in the stage version the song that Beverly insisted on playing was "Light My Fire" by Jose Feliciano and in the TV production it was "For Ever and Ever" by Demis Roussos. Alison Steadman reminisces about one of her favourite characters. Beverly's husband Laurence comes home late from work, just before the guests arrive. 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