Mirrorball (2000)
- Director(s):
- Adrian Edmondson
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Synopsis of Mirrorball
A pair of theatrical sisters -- one a singer/dancer, the other an actress -- trade wisecracks with each other and their colorful friends in this one-off special, which reunited much of the talent from Absolutely Fabulous and helped pave the way for that show's 2001 return. Vivienne Keill (Jennifer Saunders) hasn't appeared on-stage in five years, two if you count a commercial in which another actor's mouth was morphed onto her face. Her sister Freda (Julia Sawalha) condescendingly helps her prepare for an audition for "Angela's Ashes: The Musical." So does Jackie Riviera (Joanna Lumley), her aging show girl/gay icon best friend. Despite a truly wretched audition that finds her caterwauling "Send in the Clowns" in a distinctly inauthentic Irish brogue, Vivienne wins the part. However, during a drunken celebration, she injures herself severely. She tries to hide her injuries from the show's producers, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Brice Michaels (Tim Wylton), Jackie's husband/manager, tries to convince Jackie to go on the road to earn the couple some cash. When that falls through, his plan to buy a café sparks Jackie's imagination and her memories of Studio 54-era debauchery. The reality isn't quite as glamorous, but with Jackie as hostess, the café attracts all sorts of theater folk as both employees and customers. These supporting players include incomprehensible waitress/actress Yitta Hilberstam (Jane Horrocks), boozy grand dame Dora Vermouth (June Whitfield), and beleaguered perennial stand-in Cat Rogers (Harriet Thorpe). Originally conceived as the pilot for a new BBC series, Mirrorball was reduced to a one-off curio when writer/star Jennifer Saunders decided instead to revisit her most famous character for a fourth series of Absolutely Fabulous, which premiered five years after the supposed swan song Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout. Mirrorball aired December 22, 2000 on BBC1 and was later included as a bonus special on the Absolutely Fabulous series for DVD. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Director(s):
- Adrian Edmondson
- Writer(s):
- Jennifer Saunders
- Producer(s):
- Jon Plowman
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