London Classic Theatre present
Abigail’s Party
Directed by Michael Cabot
It was 1977, the year of skin-tight polyester, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and Saturday Night Fever. The Sex Pistols were storming up the charts, skateboarding was the latest craze and Angela Rippon danced with Morecambe & Wise.
And at Hampstead Theatre in London, Mike Leigh and his cast were putting the finishing touches to Abigail’s Party, a ferocious black comedy and landmark of twentieth century theatre.
In her suburban living room, Beverly prepares for the arrival of her guests. She and husband Laurence will play host to neighbours Angela, Tony and Sue. As the alcohol flows and the ‘nibbles’ are handed around, Mike Leigh’s ruthless, achingly funny examination of 1970s British life begins…
Abigail’s Party was premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in 1977, with the role of Beverly being immortalized by Alison Steadman. A record sixteen million people watched its broadcast as Play for Today, underlining its status as a true modern classic and national treasure.
★★★★★ – Broadway World
★★★★ – The Stage
Go behind the scenes, and find out more about Abigail’s Party’s relevance in the present day from the cast and creatives on our Inside the Greenroom page.
“Beautifully put together, razor-sharp and devastatingly effective…”
Broadway World
“A timeless masterpiece that had its audience roaring with laughter…”
Varsity
“An unforgettably hilarious and horrifying evening of theatre…”
The Scotsman
“Gloriously gaudy set design…a delight…”
The Stage
“A night at the theatre that will leave you beaming from ear to ear…”
The Reviews Hub
“Excruciatingly funny…”
Staffordshire What's On
Rebecca Birch
Beverly
For London Classic Theatre: Rosie in My Mother Said I Never Should.
Theatre includes: Jesus Christ Superstar, Ghosts Of The Titanic (Frinton Summer Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Half Cut Theatre), The Girl On The Train (English Theatre Frankfurt), Horrible Christmas (Winter Gardens Blackpool, Birmingham Stage Company), The Sea (NT Studios), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lyric Hammersmith/Filter Theatre), The Secret Seven (Storyhouse), Alice in Wonderland (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre), The Beggar’s Opera (Storyhouse), A Tale of Two Cities (Royal & Derngate/Touring Consortium), Relative Values (Theatre Royal Bath & West End), Variation on a Theme (Finborough), Health Wealth (Old Vic New Voices), Pygmalion (Garrick Theatre/Chichester Festival Theatre), The Master Builder (Chichester Festival Theatre).
Television credits include: The Commuter – Electric Dreams: The World of Philip K Dick (Leftbank Pictures for Channel 4/Sony Pictures), Victoria (Mammoth Pictures for ITV).
Jo Castleton
Susan
For London Classic Theatre: Bertha in Boeing Boeing.
Theatre includes: Vincent River (Bridge Theatre, Brussels), War Horse (National Theatre), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre, West End), Dangerous Corner (Nottingham Playhouse), Round and Round the Garden, Table Manners, A Murder is Announced, Deathtrap, Murder Weapon, Suddenly at Home (Eastbourne Theatres & UK Tour), Shock (Nottingham Theatre Royal), Twist of Gold (Polka), Lilies on the Land (National Tour), Beauty and the Beast, Oh, What a Lovely War, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Wind in the Willows, The Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol (Haymarket Basingstoke), Elephant 21 (Royal Court), Family Man (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Ghost Train, Sailor Beware, Daisy Pulls It Off (Touring), The Magic Flute, The Mystery Plays, Oliver Twist, Shakers (Liverpool Playhouse).
TV & film credits: Suspicion (Apple TV), Somewhere Boy (Channel 4).
Alice De-Warrenne
Angela
Training: Guildford School of Acting.
Theatre includes: Peppa Pig’s Best Day Ever (National Tour/West End), The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Pinocchio (Greenwich Theatre), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe), Reformation (White Bear), Bing Live (National Tour), Wrecked (VAULT Festival), Santa’s Invitation (Ductac Dubai), Under My Thumb (Greenwich Theatre, New Diorama & Edinburgh Fringe), A Night at the Bard (Floods Tavern), Hay Fever (Upstairs at The Gatehouse/UK Tour), Alice in Wonderland (UAE Tour), The Wind in the Willows (Waterloo East).
Television credits include: Black Ops (Discovery Channel).
George Readshaw
Tony
Training: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Theatre includes: Moonlight and Magnolias (Frinton Summer Theatre), Indecent Proposal (Southwark Playhouse), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Lord Chamberlain’s Men), A Christmas Carol (Bristol Old Vic), Flies (Edinburgh Fringe), The Taming of the Shrew (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School).
Television credits include: Extraordinary (Disney+).
George is the co-founder of Half Cut Theatre, a young touring theatre company set up in the midst of the pandemic. With them he has toured with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, Twelfth Night, Treasure Island, and most recently Much Ado About Nothing.
Tom Richardson
Laurence
Training: Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
Theatre includes: The Snow Queen (Storyhouse), Sherlock, Private Lives, Little Women (Pitlochry Festival Theatre/Watford Palace), Much Ado About Nothing (AFTLS), As You Like It, She Stoops To Conquer, Twelfth Night, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Guildford Shakespeare Company), The Prince & The Pauper (New Vic), Lady Chatterley’s Lover (UK Tour), Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, Sense & Sensibility, Single Spies, Dial ‘M’ For Murder, The Rivals, Watch It Sailor! (Theatre by the Lake/York Theatre Royal), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar (Storyhouse), Elton John’s Glasses (Watford Palace), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo & Juliet, The Wind in The Willows, Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors (Chester Performs), The White Carnation (Jermyn Street), Roots (Nottingham Playhouse), The Winter’s Tale, The Rivals, The Grapes of Wrath, Arsenic and Old Lace (Mercury Colchester).
Northcott TheatreContains strong language
