Because my mother was not able to go(!), I had the pleasure of accompanying my Dad to Southport Little Theatre on Thursday to see a production of “Abigail’s Party” by Southport Drama Society.<\/p>\n
The play is set in Beverley’s living room, while the eponymous party takes place next door. Its intention is to criticize\/highlight the futility of social snobbery in the 1970s, and it’s fair to say that the evening the characters undergo is not a pleasant one. The bizarre ending left me wondering if the final curtain was truly such until the cast took their bows.<\/p>\n
Staging was excellent, the crew really captured the essence of a 1970s living room, and there were none of the swaying flats that one often associates with amateur performances. The women truly brought their characters to life, whereas the men fulfilled their roles with aplomb. Given the script, where they are called on to be tremendously awkward and pompous by turn, essentially portrayed as the weaker sex, it was hard to tell whether awkward silences were part of the script or a weak point in the performance. The costumes were bang on (Beverley, in particular, had a truly astounding cleavage), and the comic timing excellent.<\/p>\n
It’s also a sign of the times that when “Beverley” lit up on stage for the first time, I thought “can she *do* that?” and spent the rest of the evening wondering if I would smell like I’d been to the pub 10 years ago when I got home…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Because my mother was not able to go(!), I had the pleasure of accompanying my Dad to Southport Little Theatre on Thursday to see a production of “Abigail’s Party” by Southport Drama Society. The play is set in Beverley’s living … Continue reading