B12 - Sunday News, October 11, 1981

Opening the fall season at
City Stage is Abigail’s Party,
a briffiant English comedy by
Mike Leigh.

Abigail’s Party is gauche
and funny and wickedly
acute. Nothing could be
more bdeguilingly normal
than a social evening for five
on a middle-class housing
estate. Cliches flow like
wine, but from beneath the
torrent of trivia darker

streams appear.

The story is simple:
selfish, sexy, common
Beverly, our heroine,

married to neurotic, brow-
beaten Laurence, invites the
new neighbours - a gormless
Tony and greedy Angela - to

You're invited to‘

meet Susan, a_e gentle
divorcee from next door.
Abigail, of the title, is
Susan’s novice naym-
‘phomaniac daughter who is
throwing a party from which
Mum is excluded. So far, so
simple. Then the drinks and
the malice begin to flow.
Beverly, oozing social
sweetness, neatly scrapes the
scar tissue from the tender
psyches round her. From
being a figure of fun she
emerges as a_ fabulous
monster; like a female spider
gobbling up her mate and all
those around her. Woe. to

those who resist. And all the -

other characters too emerge
from the stereotyped social
fog as all too recognizable

human beings trapped in
their ‘little boxes’. Only one
of them escapes. All in all,
Abigail’s Party is a
corrosive, cruel and
hysterically funny evening.
Mike Leigh trained at
R.A.D.A., the Camberwell
School of Art, and the
London Film School. He is a
pioneer in serious im-
provised drama. Abigail's
Party, developed through
improvisation at the Royal
Court Theatre, is a landmark
in this type of theatre and
was his first major success.
He has had a_ long

association with B.B.C. —

Television and has directed
many of the prestigious Play
for Today series. He is the

What happens after the axe has

Relocation counselling for
terminated executives < it’s a
new and rapidly growing
industry. CBC television
explores this new field in
After the Axe, a

- documentary drama to be

seen Tuesday, October 13,
8:00 p.m.

The central figure is
Douglas “Biff? Wilson, a
fictional character. At age
45, he’s abruptly fired from
his $65,000 a year job as
vice-president of marketing
for a major packaged goods

firm. Biff, in a state of
shock, is delivered into the
hands of counselling firm,
where he is re-packaged and
programmed to go out and
sell *“the most exciting
product he’s ever sold” -
himself. It works....e¢ven-
tually.

- Biff Wilson and his family
are played by actors, but the
experts interviewed in the
film are all professionals
active inthe relocation field.
The character of Biff is a
composite based on con-

At the movies

BROADWAY

CAPITOL, 820 Granville Mall,
(669-6000)

CORONET, 851 Granville
(685-6828)

DENMAN PLACE, 1737 Comox
(683-4647)

DOLPHIN, Hastings at
Willingdon, (299-7303)

DOWNTOWN, 965 Granville.
(685-6725)

¥INE ARTS, 1117 West Georgia.
(685-7821)

LOUGHEED DRIVE-IN,
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(294-2991)

LOUGHEED MALL, Burnaby.
(937-3461)

ARTHUR (M) Capito! 6 - 2,
4, 6, 8, 10. Park Royal 7:30,
9:15. Mat. Sun.-Mon. 2°15.
BODY HEAT (R) Capitol 6 -
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CALIGULA (R)
Cinema 2, 6:30,9 15.
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Capitol 6 - 2.40, 5:00, 7 25.
9:45.

CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
(M) Coronet 2:00, 4.10. 6 OO,
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Park Royal 7 00,900 Mat
Sat -Sun. 2 00

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HOUND (G6) Fraser 7 00,
9:00 Sun Mon 2 00

Towne

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ODEON WEST VAN,

1565 Marine, (922-6343)
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(876-2747)

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South Park Royal, WV.
(922-9174)

STANLEY, Granville at 12th
(733-2622)
TOWNE CINEMA,

919 Granville Mall

681-1732

VANCOUVER CENTRE,
Granville at Georgia, (669-4442)
VARSITY, 4375 West 10th,
(224-3730)

VOGUE, 918 Granville.
(685-5434)

THE FRENCH
LIEUTENANTS WOMAN
(M) Vancouver Centre 3:00,
5:15, 7:35, 9:55.
GALLIPOLI (M) Denman
Place 7:30, 9:30. Mat Sun.-
Mon. 2:00.

HEAVY METAL
Broadway 7 30, 9:30

1 SENT A LETTER TO MY
LOVE (M) Varsity 7 30,
9-30

MOMMIE DEAREST (M)
Capitol 6 2 15, 4 35. 7 00.

(R)

9 25

MOSCOW DOES NOT
BELIEVE IN TEARS (M)
Bay 700, 9 40) Sat -Sun
2 00,4 30

NOW OPEN
FOR LUNCH

11:30-2 p.m. Mon. Fri.
2988 Mountain Hwy. 986-1687

versations with more than 30
fired executives. James
Douglas plays Biff, Janine
Manatis is his wife and Ann
Christison and Randy
Solomon play his children. —
_ After the Axe is more than
just a film about a new in-
dustry. It’s also an insight
into the highly-competitive
mentality of today’s business
world, and the type of

a person who secceeds in this
area - the “businessman
warrior”.

“ A production of the

THE NIGHT PORTER (R) .

West Van Odeon 7:30, 9:40.
Broadway 7:00, 9:15.

ONLY WHEN I LAUGH
(M) WV Odeon 7:00, 9:15.
Odeon Granville 2:15, 4:50,
7:15, 9:40.

PATERNITY (M) Capitol 6 -
2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00.
POLYESTER  (R)
2:15, 4:00, 5:50, 7:45, 9:40.
THE PRINCE OF THE
CITY (R) Stanley. 7:00,
10:00. Sun.-Mon. 2:00.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST
ARK (M) Vcr Centre 2:20,
4:35, 7:00, 9:20.

RICH AND FAMOUS (M)
Capitol 6 - 2:35, 4:50, 7:15,
9:45.

RAGGEDY MAN (R) West
Van Odeon 7:15, 9:30. Park
Roya! 7:30, 9:30.

SO FINE (M) Fine Arts 7:30, —

9:30. Sat.-Sun. 2:00.

SUPERMAN Il (G) Fraser
7:15, 9.30.

TRUE CONFESSIONS (R)
Downtown 2:10, 4:00, 5:55,
7.50,9-45

THE WATCHER IN THE
WOODS (M) Park Royal
7.15,9:05 Sun -Mon 1:45

tinge =

ed

(Uae
ee eat
ei

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fit
i

|

Vogue

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first director since John
Cassavetes to work in im-
provised films. Mr. Leigh’s
most recent play Goose
Pimples is playing now at the
Hampstead Theatre.

Abigail's Party is directed
by Henry Woolf wlio also
appears as Laurence, the
hapless husband. Gillian
Barber plays Beverly the
domineering hostess. Their
guests, dim-witted Angela
and her feckless husband
Tony are played by Ellen
Kennedy = and
Dimopoulos. The role of

neighbour Susan, is played |

by Susan Williamson.
Abilgail's Party runs from
October 7th to November

struck

National Film Board in
association with the CBC,
After the Axe was co
produced by Sturla Gun-
marsson and Steve Lucas.

Writer: Steve Lucal.
Director: Sturla Gun-
narsson. Executive
Producer: Arthur Ham-
mond.

igail's Party’ |

Stephen -

-». join the “inn” crowd

Ae
FORTY FOUR

Monday thru Saturday
Oct. 12th thru 17th

7th. Performances are 8:30 (es

‘p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 7:00

and 10:00 p.m. on Satur- | as
days. Advance tickets at Classified
V.T.C. Outlets, 687-4444 or 7 .
by reservation at City Stage’s . 986-6222
new box office number 688- ers

". 1436.

eied
. Soa ey eT . :
apace ee rea

Vancouver

Ski, Sport

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PACIFIC NATIONAL EXHIBITION |
October 16th — 18th

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© Enjoy fitness & heaith displays
VANCOUVER'’S BIG TRAVEL & SKI SHOW

SHOW HOURS

Friday, October 16th

Saturday, October 17th
Sunday, October 18th

6 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
11. am. - 10:30 p.m.
1lam.- 6:009.m.

Adults 16 & over
Youths 10-15
Children 9 & under FREE accompanied by an adult

Dine & Dance
in our “NEWLY
REMODELLED’”’

Lounge to the
Sounds of

WAYNE & SANDY

Monday thru Saturday
Oct. 12th thru 17th

YP nalligg

: . r+ o
(eis ER RE ON

700 Lillooet Rd.. North Vancouver

THANKSGIVING

Oct. 12th from 4:30 p.m.

Reservations 987-3388

across from the Capilano Suspension Bridge

Open 7 Days a Week for Lunch, Dinner, Sunday Brunch

985-3111

Join us for...

DINNER

(Closed for Lunch)