"We all know a Beverley," said Nancy Durrant in The Times. The "magnificent monster" at the heart of Mike Leigh's "savage 1970s satire of the aspirational middle classes" has "never gone away".
More than four decades since "Abigail's Party" premiered at Hampstead Theatre, Nadia Fall's revival of the hit play has opened at Stratford East. Taking on the role of Beverley is a "mesmerising" Tamzin Outhwaite, who is hosting a dinner party alongside her estate agent husband Laurence (Kevin Bishop) to welcome their new "younger, less wealthy" neighbours, Angela and Tony, to the area. Really it's an opportunity for the older couple to flaunt their bigger house – a "glorious orange riot" designed by Peter McKintosh.
Also in attendance at the "brittle little do" is Beverley's divorced neighbour Sue (the "wonderfully subtle" Pandora Colin), whose teenage daughter Abigail is holding a punk-soundtracked house party within earshot.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Fall has "hardly tweaked" the production, except for casting two British Asian actors in the roles of Angela and Tony: a "brilliant touch" that adds another layer to Laurence's "snide" comments about the area becoming more "cosmopolitan".
Presiding over the "soiree from hell", Outhwaite puts her "own stamp" on the lead role, expertly moving between "marital carping, proprietorial fussing and predatory manoeuvring", said Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph. Throughout the "superbly acted" production, "not a beat or look is misjudged". At its "vicious best", the show feels like "pre-Thatcher England’s answer to 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'"
It's not without "flaws", though, said Theo Bosanquet in What's On Stage. The ending fails to "live up to the promise of what precedes it", and some parts of the script felt dated, "not least the use of the word 'rape' for cheap laughs". But Fall's revival "revels in its sheer entertainment factor", and Outhwaite is on "stellar form" as the comic lead.
-
Political cartoons for November 1Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include insurance premiums, early voting in NYC, and more
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
Meet Ireland’s new socialist presidentIn the Spotlight Landslide victory of former barrister and ‘outsider’ Catherine Connolly could ‘mark a turning point’ in anti-establishment politics
-
The 5 best political thriller series of the 21st centuryThe Week Recommends Viewers can binge on most anything, including espionage and the formation of parliamentary coalitions
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryThe Week Recommends From Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
Everything you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
The 7 best police procedurals of all timeThe Week Recommends There’s more to cops and robbers than just nabbing the bad guy at the end of the show
-
8 of the best horror comedy films of all timeThe Week Recommends From parodies to ‘requels,’ these movies will make you laugh and scream at the same time
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
Dry skin, begone! 8 products to keep your skin supple while traveling.The Week Recommends Say goodbye to dry and hello to hydration
-
5 of the best kid-friendly scary moviesThe Week Recommends Hardcore horror is for grown-ups only, but light scares can be startling fun for the whole family
