Abigail's Party
''Abigail's Party'' is a play for stage and television, devised and directed in 1977 by Mike Leigh. It is a suburban situation comedy of manners, and a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that emerged in Britain in the 1970s. The play developed in lengthy improvisations during which Mike Leigh explored the characters with the actors, but did not always reveal the incidents that would occur during the play. The production opened in April 1977 at the Hampstead Theatre, and returned after its initial run in the summer of 1977, for 104 performances in all. A recording was arranged at the BBC as a ''Play for Today'', produced by Margaret Matheson for BBC Scotland and transmitted in November 1977. Performances The stage play was first performed at the Hampstead Theatre on 18 April 1977, enjoying great success, leading to a revival over the summer of that year, which was another sellout. The television version was abridged from over two hours to 104 minutes; ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Venice International Film Festival, three BAFTA Awards, and nominations for seven Academy Awards. He also received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2014, and was appointed an Order of the British Empire, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1993 Birthday Honours for services to the film industry. Leigh studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design and the London Film School, London School of Film Technique. His short-lived acting career included the role of a mute in the 1963 ''Maigret (1960 TV series), Maigret'' episode "The Flemish Shop". He began working as a theatre director and playwright in the mid-1960s, before tran ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Love To Love You Baby (song)
"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her second studio album, '' Love to Love You Baby'' (1975). Produced by Pete Bellotte, and written by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, Summer, and Bellotte, the song was first released as a single in the Netherlands in June 1975 as "Love to Love You" and then released worldwide in November 1975 as "Love to Love You Baby". It became one of the first disco hits to be released in an extended form. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, Summer's only selection on this list. Background By 1975, Donna Summer had been living in Germany for eight years and had participated in several musical theatre shows. She had also released an album in The Netherlands entitled '' Lady of the Night'' (1974), written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte and produced by Bellotte, which had given her a couple of hit singles. She was still a complete unknown in her home country whe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jose Feliciano
Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean * Jose ben Halafta * Jose ben Jochanan * Jose ben Joezer of Zeredah * Jose ben Saul Male *Jose (actor), Indian actor * Jose Balagtas, Filipino film director *Jose Baxter (born 1992), English footballer *Jose Davis (born 1978), American football player * Jose Glover (died 1638), English minister and pioneer of the printing press in the New World * Jose Kattukkaran (born 1950), Indian politician *Jose Kurushinkal, Indian cricket umpire *Jose Kusugak (1950–2011), Inuk politician *Jose Lambert (born 1941), Belgian professor * Jose K. Mani (born 1965), Indian politician *Jose Mugrabi (born 1939), Israeli businessman *Jose Nandhikkara (born 1964), Indian author *Jose Pellissery (1950–2004), Indian film actor *Jose Chacko Periappuram (born 1958), Indian surge ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Quondam
{{disambiguation ...
Quondam may refer to: *John Sutton, 3rd Baron Dudley (1494–1553), English nobleman nicknamed Lord Quondam *An early spelling of condom *''Quondam'', a 1965 novel by David Pryce-Jones *''Quondam'', a 1984 Acornsoft game See also *Quantum (other) A quantum is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction in physics. Quantum may also refer to: Science * Quantum, in neuroscience, refers to a discrete component of a physiological response * ''Quantum Magazine'', a phy ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Department Store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appearance in the middle of the 19th century, and permanently reshaped shopping habits, and the definition of service and luxury. Similar developments were under way in London (with Whiteleys), in Paris () and in New York City ( Stewart's). Today, departments often include the following: clothing, cosmetics, do it yourself, furniture, gardening, hardware, home appliances, houseware, paint, sporting goods, toiletries, and toys. Additionally, other lines of products such as food, books, jewellery, electronics, stationery, photographic equipment, baby products, and products for pets are sometimes included. Customers generally check out near the front of the store in discount department stores, while high-end traditional d ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Crystal Palace F
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macroscopic single crystals are usually identifiable by their Geometry, geometrical shape, consisting of flat face (geometry), faces with specific, characteristic orientations. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography. The process of crystal formation via mechanisms of crystal growth is called crystallization or solidification. The word ''crystal'' derives from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning both "ice" and "Quartz#Varieties (according to color), rock crystal", from (), "icy cold, frost". Examples of large crystals include snowflakes, diamonds, and table salt. Most inorganic solids are not crystals but polycrystals, i.e. many microscopic crystals fused together into a single solid. Polycrystals inclu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Back Story
A backstory, background story, background, or legend is a set of events invented for a plot, preceding and leading up to that plot. In acting, it is the history of the character before the drama begins, and is created during the actor's preparation. Usage As a literary device, backstory is often employed to lend depth or believability to the main story. The usefulness of having a dramatic revelation was recognized by Aristotle, in ''Poetics''. Backstories are usually revealed, partially or in full, chronologically or otherwise, as the main narrative unfolds. However, a story creator may also create portions of a backstory or even an entire backstory that is solely for their own use. Backstory may be revealed by various means, including flashbacks, dialogue, direct narration, summary, recollection, and exposition. Recollection Recollection is the fiction-writing mode whereby a character calls something to mind, or remembers it. A character's memory plays a role for conve ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Unseen Character
An unseen character in theatre, comics, film or television, or a silent character in radio or literature, is a character who is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and whose absence enhances their effect on the plot. History Unseen characters have been used since the beginning of theatre with the ancient Greek tragedians, such as Laius in Sophocles' ''Oedipus Rex'' and Jason's bride in Euripides' ''Medea'', and continued into Elizabethan theatre with examples such as Rosaline in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. However, it was the early-20th-century European playwrights August Strindberg, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov who fully developed the dramatic potential of the unseen character. Eugene O'Neill was influenced by his European contemporaries and established the absent character as an aspect of character, narrative and stagecraft in American theatre. Purpose and characteristics Un ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Salthouse
John Salthouse (born John Lewis; 16 June 1951) is a British actor and producer. His best-known screen roles are those of Tony in Mike Leigh's ''Abigail's Party'' and DI Roy Galloway in ''The Bill'' from 1984 to 1987. He has also appeared in "Coronation Street" (1977) '' I Didn't Know You Cared'', ''EastEnders'', '' Miracles Take Longer'' and in films such as '' A Bridge Too Far'' (1977), '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977), ''An American Werewolf in London'' (1981), Those Glory Glory Days (1983), ''Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984),'' ''Prick Up Your Ears'' (1987). Salthouse had previously been a professional footballer until injury had forced him to retire. He had played for Crystal Palace under the name of John Lewis in the 1960s, a fact which he drew on in playing the sullen Tony in ''Abigail's Party''. He also appeared in the early series of the Sky One soap opera '' Dream Team'' as the club's academy coach, Frank Patcham. He appeared in Series 1 and Series 2, and late ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Janine Duvitski
Janine Duvitski (born Christine Janine Drzewicki; 28 June 1952) is a British actress, known for her roles in the BBC television sitcom series '' Waiting for God'', ''One Foot in the Grave'' and ''Benidorm''. Duvitski first came to national attention in the play ''Abigail's Party'', written and directed in 1977 by Mike Leigh. Personal life Duvitski was born in Morecambe, Lancashire to a Polish father and an English mother. She attended Nottingham Girls' High School, then a direct grant grammar school. She trained at East 15 Acting School in Essex. She has four children, Jack, Albert, Ruby, and Edith Bentall, with her actor husband Paul Bentall. Ruby is also an actress and Edith, Duvitski's younger daughter, is the lead singer of the band Fours. Career Television Shortly after leaving drama school, Duvitski was given a couple of small roles in television dramas but had no agent, and placed an advert in the Spotlight agency catalogue with a photograph. As a result she was appr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1977 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for ''Abigail's Party'', the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film '' Life Is Sweet'' and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of ''The Rise and Fall of Little Voice''. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the '50 Greatest Actors' voted for by other actors, she was ranked 42. Steadman made her professional stage debut in 1968 and went on to establish her career in Mike Leigh's 1970s TV plays '' Nuts in May'' (1976) and ''Abigail's Party'' (1977). She received BAFTA TV Award nominations for the 1986 BBC serial ''The Singing Detective'' and in 2001 for the ITV drama series '' Fat Friends'' (2000–2005). Other television roles include ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1995), ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019, 2024) and '' Here We Go'' (2022–present). Her other film app ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Farnon
Robert Joseph Farnon CM (24 July 191723 April 2005) was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a composer of original works (often in the light music genre), he was commissioned by film and television producers for theme and incidental music. In later life he composed a number of more serious orchestral works, including three symphonies, and was recognised with four Ivor Novello awards and the Order of Canada. Life Robert Farnon was born in Toronto to Robert and Elsie Farnon (née Menzies). He was commissioned as a captain in the Canadian Army and became the conductor/arranger of the Canadian Band of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force sent overseas during World War II. This was the Canadian equivalent of the American Band of the SHAEF led by Major Glenn Miller. He was noted as a jazz trumpeter – his longtime friend Dizzy Gillespie once stated that he was pleased that Farnon took up composing, arranging and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |