The party has kicked off for Abigail at the MAC
From a time when the height of urban sophistication was cheese and pineapple on a stick, served nonchalantly on a Lazy Susan, comes a tragi-comedy about social climbing, prejudice and fear of not doing ‘the done thing’.
The production is directed by Richard Croxford with an ensemble cast featuring Brigid Shine, Will Irvine, Craig Miller and Imogen Slaughter during a cocktail party which Beverly and her husband Laurence are hosting for their neighbours. The evening is fuelled by plenty of alcohol, an array of savoury bites and olives, and Donna Summers melodies setting the scene. But as prejudices are unmasked and tempers flare, Beverly’s perfectly planned evening unravels before her eyes.
The award-winning writer and director Mike Leigh called his play “both a celebration and a lamentation of how we are” because this isn’t just a play about 1970s Britain, it’s a peek into the frustrations and struggles endured by everyone who has ever floundered and grasped their way through life.
Commenting on the production Simon Magill, Creative Director at the MAC, said: “We’re delighted to be producing Mike Leigh’s bitingly acerbic play at the MAC this spring, perhaps introducing to many that which is familiar to a whole generation of us, thanks, partly, to its legendary 1977 ‘Play for Today’ production on BBC1.”
Tickets for Abigail’s Party are on sale with limited availability for most performances.
Supported by National Lottery funding through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
