Since 1992, the on-again, off-again BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous has kept audiences bowled over with laughter at the outrageous escapades of Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders), a perpetually drunk, substance-abusing PR agent who'll do just about anything in a vain attempt to remain "hip." Edina is tame in comparison to her outrageous enabler of a best bud, Patsy (Joanna Lumley).
The ladies use their considerable financial resources in order to engage in the vices they indulged in during the "swinging, Mod London" of decades ago. They are often rescued from themselves and each other by Edina's embittered, cynical daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha). Their side-splitting antics have attracted quite a following, including a few real-life celebs. Over the years, names such as Debbie Harry, Elton John, and Whoopi Goldberg have appeared on AbFab, as Edina/Patsy devotees call the series.
The AbFab cult continues to grow. Now you can get up-close and personal with Patsy and Edina as Absolutely Fabulous Live comes to Stage Werx in the Mission. The B.A.R. spoke to M. Christian Heppinstall, Live 's producer and director. Heppinstall's alter-ego ZsaZsa Lufthansa co-stars as Patsy.
David-Elijah Nahmod: Can you describe in greater detail what AbFab is, for newbies?
M. Christian Heppinstall: Absolutely Fabulous is the hit British sitcom from the last 20-plus years that spins around the lives of two badly behaved best friends, Edina and Patsy. The wealthy and spoiled Edina is the center of gravity for the core characters. Besides Patsy, there are Edina's daughter Saffy, her mother Gran, and her secretary Bubbles. Edina and Patsy totter through their London lives with a strong sense of high fashion, health fads, lots of meaningless sex, too many drugs and way too much booze. The sober and judgmental Saffy counterbalances her immature mum by being a great student, a virgin, and not prone to anything her mom likes. Gran meanders her way through the episodes irritating her daughter with stinging one-liners. And Bubble assists/doesn't help Edina in bizarre, high-fashion ways.
AbFab has built up quite a large gay following. Why is that, do you think?
Quite simply, which drag queen or gay actor wouldn't want to play Edina or Patsy? They offer an incredible acting opportunity to misbehave in outrageous ways while dressing to the nines. I find that gay audiences have always loved the camp work I have directed, from my Rocky Horror Show to my camp satire set in an SF porn emporium, Midnight Soapscum. I think gays love camp and are attracted to comedies full of rapier wit, stinging barbs, indulgent lifestyles, and lots of sex, booze, drugs, clothes, make-up, wigs and accessories. In American TV, we saw the huge followings of shows running concurrently to AbFab, like Will & Grace or Sex and the City .
What does doing AbFab mean to you personally?
The chance to play such fun, naughty characters in a huge hit show with a global following. Jennifer Saunders scripts are well-written, but don't always zing along. Often there are quite meaningful dialogues about real problems, and then the jokes follow to lighten things up. The Edina-Saffy mother-daughter relationship is what the show spins around, and there are some pretty heart-wrenching moments between them. And of course, we watched Saffy grow up from 16, and eventually marry and have children. And then we finally meet the long-missing son, Serge. Lots of meaningful character development, plots and themes to work with as an actor/director.
How did you approach your own development of the characters?
I didn't want my actors to attempt to imitate the original actors. I cannot step into Joanna Lumley's fabulous heels. We are not impersonators, we are actors bringing these characters to life with our love for them, but also with our acting craft. Actors were directed to reach down deep and not to imitate outright.
Might this show appeal to a straight audience as well?
Yes. The cast isn't fully in drag. We saw a large straight audience for the recent productions of Sex & the City, Friends, and Shit & Champagne. This being San Francisco, the straight audience is used to seeing this, but they are also quite supportive because they see how fun it is. So our AbFab fits right in with this. We are presenting the scripts of season one, so you'll see on stage pretty much what went on the telly, save for minor edits.
Absolutely Fabulous Live is now performing at Stage Werx, 446 Valencia St., SF (Thurs. at 8 p.m., Fri. at 11 p.m., through Dec. 12). For ticket & episode information, visit eventbrite.com/e/absolutely-fabulous-abfab-tickets-12641718721.