Leigh me Alone

Mike Leigh will not, alas, catch the revival of his play "Abigail's Party" at the Odyssey Theatre.

Not that he needs to. it's not like the British-dwelling writer and director hasn't seen the play before.

But he was in town recently to promote his latest flick "Happy-Go-Lucky," and he was aware of the production. "One of the actors (from the production) came to a screening yesterday," he said. "It seems to be successful. They've extended the run, so it must be all right."

Indeed they have. "Abigail's Party" -- about a fete and a marriage gone quite wrong -- continues through Nov. 2 at the Odyssey (www.odysseytheatre.com.) I'll be in the audience tomorrow night and will have a review up sometime over the weekend. "Happy-Go-Lucky" opens this weekend as well in select theaters here and in New York.

Has Leigh got another play in him? Someday, but not post-haste.

"I only make plays when I have a gig to do so in the same way as film," he said. "I did one at the National Theater in 2005 called 'Two Thousand Years.' I will go and do another play there but my commitment is to making films. I'm primarily concerned with that and I will make a film next year about which there's nothing I can tell you."

The man's not spikey, but he doesn't suffer fools, and he told me plenty about "Happy-Go-Lucky" which features a potential star making turn by British actress Sally Hawkins. You can check out my interview with Leigh -- and a little Hawkins thrown in -- Sunday on LA.com.

My Monday interview was my second with Leigh. I covered his last film, 2004's "Vera Drake." That story afforded me the opportunity to meet another Leigh star, Imelda Staunton, who earned a best actress Oscar nomination. She lost, alas, to "Million Dollar Baby's Hilary Swank.