ALFRED J PRUFROCK measured out his days in coffee spoons, but nowadays we prefer to mark the passage of our lives in far less durable consumer goods.

Your generation is no longer decided by the simple matter of when you were born. Instead we place ourselves by whether we played with Eagle-Eyes Action Man, Stretch Armstrong or Thundercats in our school days, whether that first clubbing outfit was a hot pants or a ra-ra skirt, and whether you decorated your home from Habitat, MFI, or Ikea.

There is something about the vanished brands of old that causes hilarity along with a painful pang of memory.

So when a new play says it will return us to the days of Twiglets, Demis Roussos, punk, and shag-pile carpet, we're definitely in the late 1970s. But the stage production of Abigail's Party, originally screened in 1977, isn't just an empty exercise in nostalgia.

Set in a north London living room, Mike Leigh's classic comedy is an impeccably observed essay in the agony of the suburban middle-classes. In a world obsessed with class and the correct kind of taste, five neighbours and the monstrous host Beverly indulge in a little light snobbery, relentless bullying, and abject social humiliation in one of the funniest plays ever written.

Mike Leigh's films, including Secrets and Lies, Naked, Topsy Turvy and Life is Sweet, have won awards across the world and this early piece is still acknowledged to be one of his best.

Revived at the Theatre Royal in July 2002, it went on to rave reviews in the West End and is now touring the country.

The cast includes Steffan Rhodri as Tony, Huw Higginson as Laurence, Liz Crowther as Susan and Lizzy McInnerny as the unforgettable Beverly. It runs from Monday January 26 to Saturday January 31 at the Theatre Royal, Bath. For tickets and information call the box office on 01225 448844.