Abigail's Party

Acerbic comic drama about a neighbours' get-together in suburbia, in which the consumption of alcohol leads to the airing of prejudices and snobberies. The most memorable of Mike Leigh's submissions to Play for Today during the late '70s/early '80s, Abigail's Party is dominated by Alison Steadman's juggernaut performance as the monstrous hostess Beverly. Overbearing, tasteless, pretentious and vicious, Beverly exemplifies the English suburban middle classes at their most grotesque. A product of Leigh's famously improvised writing style, the play was originally performed on stage and has since been revived in hundreds of productions worldwide.