"Abi" by Atiha Sen Gupta
Derby Theatre.

This play is a new play in response to "Abigail's Party" which is also playing at Derby Theatre.

It is a one woman production with Safiyya Ingar as Abi.

Abi is the fifteen year old Grand daughter of Abigail, who as in "Abigail's Party", is never seen but is crucial to the plot.

Abi is throwing a bit of a party herself and is expecting her boyfriend Lucas round for pre party entertainment, when she discovers some quite shocking secrets about what happened at the party back in 1977. This play also shines a very eerie light on one of the party guests featured in "Abigail's Party" and answers some of the unanswered questions that in the original play, may not have been so mysterious.

Using the same set give or take a few updated furniture and decorative designs, from "Abigail's Party", this action takes place in 2018, where the party music is current and so is the language.

It's a clever way to go back and shed some light over the events that happened on that night back in 1977, and by the end of this one hour play, you get a certain shock factor which mirrors recent events over the past few years.

That said , for me it could have been shorter and meandered a bit, but maybe that was the whole point to take you off of the scent as to what the play would end up revealing.

Saffiyya is a talent to look out for and I've seen her in a couple of other plays locally and she always delivers a fiery, gritty and modern performance. This play is no exception and I loved that light bulb moment when the jigsaw pieces from 1977 fell into place in 2018.Cleverly directed to keep that revelation right at the end for maximum impact by Sarah Brigham.

"Abi" is at the Derby Theatre until Saturday 20 October 2018.

See both "Abigail's party" and "Abi" to get the full impact as the story continues.........