A sparkling new production of Mike Leigh’s cult-classic comedy, Abigail’s Party will head to Colchester’s Mercury Theatre from 2-12 October as part of a national tour.
Jack Bradfield, winner of the prestigious RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award presented by Sir Ian McKellen, will bring a fresh new perspective to Leigh’s ground-breaking play which garnered cult status following the 1977 BBC TV Play for Today starring Alison Steadman.
An award-winning playwright and director, Jack is Artistic Director of Poltergeist and is currently Associate Director on Player Kings in the West End and on tour. He said, “I’m thrilled to be reviving Mike Leigh’s savage suburban comedy. We’re ratcheting up the awkward, the inappropriate, the unbearable and the plain strange, and staging the play in a whole new way. At Northern Stage and across the country, our incredible cast and creative team are going to light a fire under this classic and bring it bright and burning into 2024.”
Laura Rogers (The Ocean at the End of the Lane/West End, Dr Who/BBC ONE) will play self-appointed queen of suburbia, Beverly, who is hosting a cocktail party for her new neighbours. Next door, 15-year-old Abigail is throwing a party of her own. No one can stop talking about Abigail’s party. No one can stop thinking about Abigail’s Party. Something must be done about Abigail’s party.
Leander Deeny (Wuthering Heights/China Plate, Inspector Sands, Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Oxford Playhouse) will play Beverly’s husband, Laurence. Chaya Gupta (The Government Inspector/ Marylebone Theatre, Hansel and Gretel/Shakespeare’s Globe) and Joe Blakemore (The Hunt for Raoul Moat/ITV, HYEM/Theatre 503) play their working-class neighbours Angela and Tony, and Amy Rockson (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story/Shondaland & Netflix, Dr Faustus/Royal Shakespeare Company) plays next door neighbour Susan, mother of the eponymous Abigail.
Designer Anna Yates (Glee & Me/Royal Exchange Theatre) will create a visually stunning set inspired by the original cast’s visit to the Ideal Home Show exhibition as part of the devising process. Designed to transport audiences to 1977 without becoming caricatured or cliched, the production will have a contemporary feel, opening the play up and showing it from a new angle. The creative team also includes Sound Designer Jamie Lu (The Haunting/New Vic Theatre), Movement Director Rachel Birch Lawson (The Wolves/Theatre Royal Stratford East), and Casting Director Annelie Powell.
Northern Stage Artistic Director, Natalie Ibu, chaired a panel of industry experts to select the winner of this year’s RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award: Tinuke Craig (director), Debbie Duru (designer); Debbie Hannan (director); Christopher Haydon (Artistic Director of Rose Theatre), Kate McGrath (playwright and CEO of Fuel Theatre), Lucian Msamati (actor) and Richard Twyman (Artistic Director of ETT). Natalie said: “Mike Leigh’s iconic comedy rightly deserves its cult status. Jack’s vision brings it to life for audiences in 2024 with wit, humour and sprinkle of psychological drama – it will be spectacular. Here at Northern Stage and indeed all our co-producers, we are committed to supporting the development of the next generation of inspiring, ambitious and skilled theatre artists to make work on stages across the country, so we’re thrilled to premiere this new production in Newcastle and audiences across the UK are in for a real treat.”
Abigail’s Party is a Northern Stage, Rose Theatre, Mercury Theatre and ETT co-production, and is supported by a grant from the Royal Theatrical Support Trust. Abigail’s Party will open at Northern Stage, Newcastle (13-28 September) before touring to Mercury Theatre Colchester (2-12 October), Blackpool Grand (22-26 October) and Rose Theatre (5-16 November).
