This is the party to end all parties and you are all invited!
Dress to impress and dance down to Blackpool Grand Theatre for a thrilling new production of Mike Leigh’s classic cult comedy ABIGAIL’S PARTY from Tuesday 22 October to Saturday 26 October.
Beverly, the queen of suburbia, is hosting a cocktail party. Next door, 15-year-old Abigail is throwing a party of her own. No one can stop talking about Abigail’s Party. No one can stop thinking about Abigail’s Party. Something must be done about Abigail’s Party...
Settle into your seat, have a ‘little top up’ and enjoy this award-winning play as you have never seen it before. Abigail’s Party is an English Touring Theatre (ETT), Northern Stage, Rose Theatre and Colchester Mercury Theatre co-production, and will be directed by acclaimed new theatrical talent Jack Bradfield - winner of the Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST) Sir Peter Hall Directing Award.
Jack will be breathing new life into Mike Leigh’s biting black comedy that first appeared on stage in 1977 to huge critical acclaim before transferring to television in the famous BBC Play for Today slot and quickly becoming a legendary piece of TV history. Who can forget the incredible Alison Steadman slow dancing to Demis Roussos with her friend’s husband and neighbour while her own husband Laurence looks on? But what else do you know about Abigail’s Party?
Here’s five top facts about Mike Leigh’s much-loved comic masterpiece:
- The original cast of Abigail’s Party improvised for ten weeks to create these powerful yet ridiculous characters. The actors even shopped in the supermarket in character and only bought items their character would buy!
- A record sixteen million people watched its BBC broadcast as Play for Today
- The play launched the career of Alison Steadman who immortalised the lead role of the horrendous hostess Beverley. Alison went on to star in countless stage and screen productions, most notably The Singing Detective, Fat Friends and Gavin and Stacey.
- The original music from the stage play Elvis Presley and Puerto Rican artist José Feliciano had to be changed for TV to Tom Jones and Demis Roussos due to licensing issues.
- Abigail’s Party was voted one of the country’s favourite ever TV shows in a Radio Times poll and is still considered to be a national treasure.
Listings
Abigail’s Party – Tuesday 22 October - Sat urday 26 October 2024
Venue: Grand Theatre, 33 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HT
Tickets: blackpoolgrand.co.uk