
Overview
Synopsis
Let’s travel back to the 1970s and a time of cheese and pineapple on sticks, paisley prints, and Dennis Rousseau. This evening, suburban socialite Beverly and her husband Laurence are hosting a drinks party, despite Laurence arriving home late from work. They have invited their new neighbors, married couple Tony and Angela, along with their recently divorced, next door neighbor Susan, who has been banished from her home as her teenage daughter Abigail is throwing her first party. As the drinks flow, tensions rise. Beverly flirts with Tony, while Laurence sulks on the sofa. Sniping, bickering, and drunken dancing ensue, until the evening comes to a sudden close when Laurence suffers a fatal heart attack.
Originally developed through lengthy improvisations, Abigail’s Party is a biting satire of British middle-class aspirations in the 1970s.
Show Information
- Book
- Mike Leigh
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1977
- Genres
- Comedy, Satire
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- The home of Beverly and Laurence Moss, 1970s
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, Small Cast, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
---|---|---|---|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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