Odyssey Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents a hilarious and dark comedy from the director of the acclaimed films Secrets and Lies and Topsy-Turvy. A frantic hostess forces food and cigarettes on her guests in an attempt to disguise both the failure of her party and of her marriage.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
All dates for this event have expired.
The last event was Sunday November 2, 2008 / 2:00pm. (view all dates)
Check back to this section to see pictures from this event!
Some good acting from most parties involved. Still I would have to agree with many of the other reviews in that it's a play about a group of people I don't like all that much. Sort of a 'Lady from Dubuque' meets 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf'. (But less moving.)
"Abigail's Party" should be called "Beverly's Creepy Party". Abigail, who we never see, is the 15 year old daughter of Susan, one of the three guests at the party where the play is set. Susan is at Beverly's because Abigail threw her out of her house to have her own party with her teenaged friends. Beverly is the domineering wife of Lawrence, and the hostess of the party at which we watch five middle class Britons in the mid 1970s get progressively drunker. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" came to mind as we watched the ugly underbelly of Beverly and Lawrence's marriage become exposed.
Overall, I liked the play, found it humorous at times, but Beverly grated on my nerves, as she was meant to do. All five actors were excellent, however it is hard for me to watch a play in which the predominant character is so irritating. The ending was disappointing, and left me flat.
It was okay. The acting was terrific on all parts. The play itself prattled on with being neither witty nor all that revealing. If you are spending an evening in theater with characters you would normally not want to spend time with in real life, then it would be wise to make them a bit more compelling or show at least some wit or special something. Nice set design.
Abigail's Party was simply awful...no story, shrill uninteresting characters and a theater full of cigarette smoke. We counted the minutes until the intermission when we could leave.
Definitely not worth the price of driving to the theater.
The acting was wonderful....the play is not. Sorry....
While an odd play, it kept me intrigued, and wondering just where this story line was going... I found the actors top notch. Great character studies. A dark comedy, with an off the wall ending. I would recommend seeing this show.
Fine acting and a good set. If you're a fan of Mike Leigh, you may even enjoy your evening. Billed as a "comedy of manners" and "a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class" [Wikipedia] the play is neither. Leigh seems to see everyone as crass, whiny, and ineffectual. Very well delivered, the dialogue is cutting without being funny. You wouldn't spend any time around these people in life; why does putting them on stage make them more acceptable?
The acting was superb, especially the role of Beverly. Nice, intimate theater, too.
I COULD NOT HEAR MUCH OF THE DIALOGUE ESPECIALLY THE LEAD CHARACTER.
Trials and tribulations of a party of 5 in English suburbia during the 1970's is very well acted, and quite typical of what could take place during an evening of too much drinking. Smoking during the play is a bit of a problem with many of us who are very sensitive to the terrible habit though commonplace during the 70's. Interesting play expoisng the foibles of life.
Awesome cast. Great performance.
It was just alright, the main character played it 'really over the top' there really isn't a story - just people getting drunk and acting silly - I related to it more than the person I was with, because I lived in England during this period - i.e. long hair etc.
phoebe james was hillarious. i could not take my eyes off her. her physical comedy is incredibe.
I guess, a play written by Mike Leigh must also be directed by him. Otherwise, we get a mess called Abigail's Party playing at the Odyssey Theatre. Even the very talented actors could not save the night. And while we are at it: do not see The Great Election in the adjacent room - it is even worse.
Well acted on a good set, but I did not enjoy spending time with these people. Mike Leigh generally gives us a sympathetic view of his characters, but in this play we had aimless, pointless, and mean suburban Brits who were not enjoying their evening (or life) either.
Fine acting, but a very rudimentary play. Not up to Mike Leigh's usual caliber.
I did not enjoy the noise level of the performance. It did not have to be that loud to get the point across. Theatres needs to modulate the sound.
Acting was professional except for neighbor, Susan whose amateurish expression remained the same throughout the play. Leading lady was excellent except she looked too old for the part. Play could have been shorter. Otherwise entertaining.
good fun with a twist
The production of Abigail's Party was outstanding particularly in terms of its actors' extremely professional skills. Cerris Morgan-Moyer
and Johnathan LaPaglia found every nuance possible and then more in
their interpretations of Tony and Sue, making their performances
particularly outstanding and special. The other actors were also
good in presentation, especially Nikki Glick as Beverly. I encourage
you to get to Odyssey Theatre to see this moving, witty, memorable
production during its run until 19 October.
Don't you hate those awkward social situations? You know, those ones when you’re smiling through gritted teeth, eyeing up all the best escape routes and fabricating some far-fetched excuse to leave. Join Beverly and her husband Laurence, Angela, her husband Tony, and Sue for Abigail's Party.
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. © 2008 Goldstar Events, Inc.