Arts preview: Hong Kong Players take on cult comedy Abigail's Party

Mike Leigh's , first staged at London's Hampstead Theatre in 1977 and televised the same year in the BBC's series, has a cult following which - rather like that of - parrots its lines.

In 2000 when the British Film Institute drew up a list of the 100 best programmes the BBC had ever made, ranked at number 11, sandwiched between at number 12, and at number 10.

The play is a black comedy of the British middle class manners of its time, but Hong Kong Players' director Jodi Gilchrist expects it to appeal to a broad audience. "I think it is one of those plays that will never go out of fashion - there are so many aspects of it that ring bells with a vast and varied age group who remember the '70s, from the costumes, to the language used, and particularly the characters," says Gilchrist. "However, I still insist that it is an entertainment piece in itself, and will appeal to any audience."

The stage play and television version made a star of Alison Steadman - Leigh's wife at the time - as Beverly Moss, the department store make-up sales girl-turned nightmarish lower middle class hostess. Taking that role is Moe Moss, last seen playing Mrs Robinson in the Players' 2013 production of .