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"Play for Today" Abigail's Party (1977)


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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
A British TV Gem, 27 February 2000
Author: Colin Wilson from Seattle, USA

I saw this first time round, and it's a once seen/never forgotten experience. Yes, THAT good. The TV version has the feel of the stage play it was, with all the action taking place in the living room of the obnoxious Beverly and her equally obnoxious husband.

In the first few seconds, Beverly, expecting the arrival of her guests, puts on the Donna Summer record Love To Love You Baby (which SHE likes, to hell with what the guests might like). Only it isn't Donna Summer, but one of those cheap 49 pence Woolworth cover version albums so prevalent in the seventies. Immediately, the mood is set.

The amazing thing about this play is that one feels throughout that one is intruding on what one should not be seeing. There is definitely that fly on the wall feel, but just try and look away. This is compelling viewing, no matter how far your eyes widen - and they will - as things progress. Even the more subtle touches (such as Angie's tight necklace, with the heart pendant that bobs up and down as she speaks) add light humor to the pervasive dark humor. There are too many classic moments in this one-off to even list, that good it is. This is a British TV gem.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Painful & hilarious & agonising, 15 March 1999
Author: Marty-G from San Jose, CA

Wow. Abigail's Party - and I am the first person to comment on it? This is certainly an interesting film. In parts it's riotously funny... I mean laugh-out-loud funny... the characters are all obnoxious (except perhaps Sue) with traits that'll make you thank the Lord that they are not your neighbours or friends. The tension just rises and rises through the film... you know it's building up to something big... by the end though it's damn depressing. You hate these characters, you want to shout at them! But the acting is brilliant. Alison Steadman's Beverly full of clichés and tartiness, with a voice that gives you the creeps. Tim Stern (Laurence), the hen-pecked husband, an uptight little weasel and an intellectual snob. Angela (Jane Duvitski), weak and ineffectual, annoying as hell, easily-led, yet comes through the whole thing with more strength than the others. John Salthouse as Tony is a magnificent character, you can feel his anger brewing underneath this quiet exterior. And then there's Susan, played by Harriet Reynolds, whose unseen daughter Abigail is the one having the party. Sue's the one who gets thrown in with all these misfits... poor thing. The setting is claustrophobic, the humour is full on, sometimes though it just gets a little too nasty for words, and leaves a rather bittersweet taste. Funny it may be but it's a bloody painful ride, and though it's looking seriously dated, it's still a fascinating piece of work.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
A modern classic that explores the social deficiencies of the aspiring middle classes in the 70's..., 15 April 2001
10/10
Author: Tom from London

Abigail's party is a tremendous piece of drama that was originally developed through a process of improvisation. It is hilariously funny but at the same time deeply moving and the tension created on stage is amongst the most painful I have ever witnessed. Mike Leigh, as a director, clearly has an amazing ability to achieve fantastic performances from his actors. The play, about an awkward drinks gathering, hosted by the atrocious Beverley (Alison Steadman), explores the intricacies of the social order in Britain and the pretentious aspirations of the lower middle class. With a heavy dose of Demis Rusoss, quite a few Gin an' Tonics, a cheesy pineapple stick and a dramatic climax - Abigail's Party is a much-watch. It may be a little dated but it still has a cult following and I hear that people today hold Abigail's Party parties:- So it must be good!

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
No real plot... but so compelling!!, 11 April 2003
9/10
Author: wilywilliam from London England

I reckon that this is the sort of movie that gets film students all excited. There are so many levels to this flick that you could probably go on for days pulling apart and examining the different characters, relationships and commentaries. But I recommend you watch this film purely for entertainment purposes - it's great. The actors are believable, the story is simplistic (yet so effective) and the period touches are great - because this is essentialy a period drama (the period being very firmly in the 1970s). For a film to have such little plot yet remain so compelling is testament to each and every element that makes up this movie. Watch it.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
What A Great Play!, 22 September 2006
9/10
Author: horseyfly_91 from London, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I am currently taking drama as a gcse subject, and this was a play that we had to watch on t.v in a lesson for our coursework. First of all, the whole class thought it would be rubbish and really boring, but how wrong we were! The film is completely brilliant!! Its, cringing and painful to watch at times, others you want to slap at the characters or shout at them but mainly you're rolling around in laughter! Watching this film was definitely a time well spent, and I can't wait until we see it in the theatre! All the characters are completely annoying in their own way, but no one can top Beverly's squeaky voice, and Tony's violent outbursts! This is definitely a play to recommend!!

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
A brilliant, cringe-worthy glimpse into the reality of class and pride in 70s Surbiton., 15 March 2005
9/10
Author: aliciaecm from London, England

Originally a play, but masterfully adapted into a television drama, Mike Leigh successfully creates a truthful, yet hilarious, look into the assumed manners and desperate ambition of the 'lower middle class' of 1970s south London.

The characters are memorable and appallingly dressed in the fashions of the era, which makes it even funnier to a modern day audience to look back on. The disgusting confidence of 'Bev' and her pathetic side-kick, 'Ange', contrast brilliantly with their ultra-bland husbands and the slightly higher-class Sue, the only character you actually develop any sympathy for.

This play/film is aimed at British audiences, and would probably totally fail to amuse anyone else, if not purely for the individual nature of our class-obsessed middle class then for its almost unique ability to be funny without resorting to slapstick or crude one-liners so often relied upon in American 'comedy'.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
love it or hate it you'll never forget it, 16 October 2007
10/10
Author: magicwand444 from United Kingdom

i was an avid watcher of 'play for today' because the next day at work everybody would talk about it.in the case of abigail's party people still talk about it now.

when the wonderful alison steadman created the social climbing hostess beverly,she created a monster.as she strutted her stuff we cringed.her awful taste in music,her walking all over her husband,her unsubtle attempts to seduce tony,her thanking sue for the bottle of red wine and putting it in the fridge.

when the play was re-screened two years later it captured an audience of 16 million.it has since become a favourite for brave amateur drama groups.my favourite story concerning this is the group that decided to stage the play and use real alcoholic drinks-they never made it to act 2.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
I Love To Love You Baby, 9 September 2005
8/10
Author: threeyears from United Kingdom

Beverly.. what a woman. This is 1977 and she is one of a kind. I feel as if she lives on today, because the nuances of her character continue to echo into countless present day screen icons. We see shades of Marjorie Doors (Little Britain) borrowing her patronising vocal confirmations and put downs, shards of Jill (Nighty Night) continuing her friendly bullying regime, and a few spoonfuls of the self centred hedonistic Edina (Ab Fab) trying to get the most out of every situation, for herself.

So thats Beverly. As for the play itself, it starts off very amusingly. There is an absolutely CLASSIC scene you will be playing again and again where Beverly takes Angela to one side for some criticism about her lipstick application technique. You will possibly find yourself in stitches, mimicking her sultry application action. As the play progresses (and Beverly gets more drunk) I found myself getting as irritated as the characters themselves, until I wanted to shout SHUT UP BEVERLY and throw the TV out of my window. I didn't understand why Tony was so miserable throughout.. or why Angela spoke as if she was a few pennies short of a fiver (maybe she in fact was?). A delicious snapshot of a feasible suburban nightmare none-the-less! I shudder to think what my neighbours get up to..

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining but painful, 4 May 2002
Author: nat from England

Abigail's party is totally unique for the rollercoaster of emotions it put you through. One minute its funny, the next its excrutiatingly painful. Alison Steadman is outstanding as the totally obnoxious Beverley. She is supported by a brilliant cast, most notably Abigail's mother whose discomfort and awkwardness can be empathised by everyone. The finest thing about this drama is the build up of the atmosphere. The evening becomes more tense and awkward until it explodes with terrible consequences. The dancing scene in particular is very clever; horribly embarrassing, funny and also touched with sadness.

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6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
The absent architect., 4 June 2000
Author: Greg (honolulu) from Perth, Australia

I was most impressed by this film, which is really a theatre play on a similar theme to American Beauty, but I will need some time to mentally recover from it.

Certainly the set design and the characters costumes are magnificent examples of their time and social milieu. The particular combination of these five characters- two relatively recently married dysfunctional 'heterosexual' couples and a sad 'divorcee'- sets up some fascinating tensions in the realm of inter-personal relations. The plot is like a psychotherapy case study about relations between men and women, and the acting is compelling. Alison Steadman's Beverly is grating but consistent and convincing- hard to forget. I could empathise with the anguish felt by her husband Laurence (Tim Stern), a pathetic aspiring social climber. He is justly appalled by Beverly's narcissistic indulgence as an ingratiating and domineering hostess with the aid of his 'financial support'.

Angela (Jane Duvitski) is very well acted, as a spineless sycophant, except for her closing rendition of a leg cramp. Her husband Tony (John Salthouse) is beautifully portrayed, with brewing anger suppressing violence. Susan (Harriet Reynolds) is similarly intriguing, but by the end of the film, it is finally apparent that her part is actually just boring. The most astute and engaging role model is that of Susan's ex-husband, who is happily divorced and by all accounts enjoying himself at a healthy distance away from this suburban collection of sick, sad, and miserable company.

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