REVIEW: Abi at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch

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.

REVIEW: Abigail’s Party at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch

Mike Leigh’s 1977 play is a British Classic and earned this status through its method of creation with long improvisation sessions with the original cast and from its shocking expose of seventies suburbia manners and its conclusion when aired, after its first stage performances ,on the BBC Play for Today season; A series that often created shockwaves through its audiences. Alison Steadman created the dominant character, Beverly and it firmly established her as a brilliant actress.

It is now, of course, 41 years since the show was first produced and this new revival at the Queen's Hornchurch remains faithful to the original design and is firmly rooted in the late seventies. Set and Costume designer Lee Newby has created Beverly’s open plan home complete with loud patterned wallpaper , G-Plan furniture, leather sofa , white mock fur rug a lava lamp and a coloured fibre optic lamp. The Bar is centre stage. The pre show music also places us back in time with Hot Chocolate’s “You sexy thing” and Motown “Love machine”. For the matinee audience it was a trip back in time! It is also set in “theoretical Romford “just before the dawn of the era Mrs T and joining the European Economic Community as it was then called. Ironically given today’s political mess the locals in Hornchurch and the rest of the South East have benefitted hugely from the economic growth and house price growth that the era post this play’s time has generated. It makes the revival feel anachronistic and dated a piece stuck in the time it was written.