December brought a comic performance of Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party to the Drama Studio,
which was much enjoyed by all. The action took place in a suburban household living room,
where bubbly Bev and her husband, the long-suffering Lawrence, invite their neighbours
round for a sociable evening, while Abigail - daughter of one of the guests - stereotypically
trashes her house down the road in the midst of a rampant teenage orgy (ie her sixteenth
birthday party).
Clare Fraenkel had a hysterical interpretation of the character Bev which she brought to life with a high-pitched cockney and 'stylish' plastic jewellery. She was well supported by Catherine Taylor as her best friend, Angie, who took the meaning of the word 'airhead' to new extremes. Tony, her strong but silent partner, grunted with exceptional talent, given the monosyllabic lines that he had available to him. Will Stevens in this part looked mysteriously attractive in a luminous green shirt, complete with gold jewellery and white socks.
One high point was the scene where the cast began to dance. While Bev attempted to seduce a very cooperative Tony, Angie flapped around the room in her (hopefully not true-to-life) effort to dance. On the other side of the stage Sue (Marina Grob) danced rigidly (or was it frigidly?) with an obviously uncomfortable Lawrence (Sebastian Billings) who gave a very professional performance throughout the play.
Indeed, a certain member of the Remove found the action so thrilling that he was unable to contain himself and threw himself into the performance, walking across the stage before making a dramatic exit. Fortunately the cast had the presence of mind to continue despite this interruption.
This was a play tightly worked and extremely well performed, much loved by teachers, parents and pupils alike.
Georgina Burley & Nisha Makan (Purcell's)