It was extremely interesting to see Abi immediately after watching the latest revival of Mike Leigh’s 1977 play Abigail’s party set in “theoretical Romford” suburbia in the seventies. Writer Atiha Sen Gupta imagines the same location in 2018 and the granddaughter of Abigail whose party took place next door to Beverly’s disastrous drinks party in the original play. She draws inspiration for the new piece from the structure and themes of the original play and updates it for the twenty first century.
Abi is the fifteen year old great granddaughter of Susan who we have met in the first play as the reluctant guest but her grandmother, the 15 year old Abigail of the seventies play, is in hospital terminally ill. Just as in the first play we are watching a host set up for a domestic party while off stage another drama is playing out this time not next door but at the hospital. We never learn in the original play exactly what went on in the offstage party which two characters, Laurence and Tony drop in on but during the course of the new companion piece the writer speculates on what Mike Leigh might have imagined was happening and the consequences.
