Are you a fan of Demis Roussos? Do you think he's sexy? Beverley does, even if he is a big man. Beverley doesn't mind; his voice doesn't sound fat anyway, especially when he's singing 'Forever and Ever'.
This alone is enough to place most of you slap bang in the middle of a certain wood-panelled living room, salivating over some cheese and pineapple sticks. For those of you yet to arrive, we're talking about Abigail's Party. Well, to be precise, we're talking about Laurence and Beverley's soiree, just down the road (and yet a million miles away) from Abigail's actual party.
Mike Leigh's 1977 classic is a perfectly preserved time capsule, chilled Beaujolais and all and this adaptation by Theatre Royal Bath Productions pays great attention to the décor, fashion and social insecurities of the era. Yet despite its unmistakable time-stamp, both its comedy and its bite speak just as loudly to the audiences of today; and this production carries off that disconcerting duality expertly.
From the moment the brilliant Amanda Abbington first sways across the shag pile to Donna Summer you know you are in the presence of Beverley; bitter and broken and still trying to hide behind a veneer of social respectability as artificial as the 'real silver' plate that coats her candelabra.
In fact all of the actors were superb. Poor Laurence, played by Ciaran Owens, veers erratically from meek resignation to violent outbursts as he claws at the intellectual and refined promises of middle class, only to be outed as a fraud by his own leather-bound books.
And Rose Keegan, as Abigail's mother Susan, displays incredible presence despite her somewhat monosyllabic contributions to the party. Trying desperately to maintain her dignity (and her sanity), she is perfectly pained and resolute in the face of an increasingly drunken barrage of barbs from desperate-to-get-it-right Ange and the cruel Beverley.
Underneath the G&T and the dance moves, this play touches a real nerve. I went expecting a comedy and I did laugh, but I also squirmed as the social cracks became increasingly apparent and increasingly familiar.
Ultimately, whether you're a lifelong fan or a newcomer like me, this production of Abigail's Party will get under your skin. Because let's face it, just as it was for Laurence, aspiration is still a struggle for those of us not lucky enough to be born with the passion and talents of Demis Roussos.
