On a Sunday night in 1977, as a huge storm swept through the British Isles, one of Britain’s three channels was knocked out. A second was on strike, leaving viewers with just one choice: the BBC’s television adaptation of Mike Leigh’s play, “Abigail’s Party.” Sixteen million tuned in to see a dark comedy about a dysfunctional middle-middle-class suburban couple hosting their neighbors for drinks. A cult classic was born.

Now having its New York premiere in an expert production from the New Group, Mr. Leigh’s acerbic comedy is both very funny and very unsettling. But to the foreigner, “Abigail’s Party” comes across as a witty but slight document. Scott Elliot’s pitch-perfect direction of the vibrant ensemble cast (led by Jennifer Jason Leigh) wins you over, but ultimately, you’re left wanting more from the material.

Long before “Seinfeld” popularized the sitcom about nothing, there was “Abigail’s Party,” whose main action consists of people arriving, departing, drinking, smoking, and plucking pineapple-cheese cubes from a tray. (Seldom has an hors d’oeuvre produced such side-splitting laughs.) The play’s lifelike conversations evolved over hours of improvisations conducted by Mr. Leigh during the original 1977 rehearsals. Over the years, Mr. Leigh’s famous anthropological methods have produced poignant films like “Vera Drake” and “Secrets & Lies,” as well as several well-regarded plays – three of which were previously directed by Mr. Elliot for the New Group.

It’s intriguing, then, to see how the roles hold up when performed by actors who didn’t originate them. Ms. Leigh (no relation), a film actress last seen on Broadway in “Proof,” plays the most crucial part: Beverly, the bossy hostess of this tepid suburban party. From her wordless entrance, sashaying through her living room to Donna Summer, Ms. Leigh is firmly, almost ferociously in character. Adjusting her clingy blue dress and the feathered wings of her hair in the mirror, she’s brimming over with social and sexual energy. Her body language suggests a woman who’s been cooped up all day and is itching for a fight.

Beverly, clearly starved for attention, has invited some neighbors over to appreciate her charms, since her uptight husband, Laurence (Max Baker), no longer even pretends to like her. The reluctant guests are Angela and Tony, a lonely couple, and Sue, a divorced mother seeking shelter from her teenage daughter’s (Abigail’s) party. At first the humor comes from the palpable awkwardness of a bad party. But as these anxious characters drink, their brittleness grows more apparent, and the jokes develop more bite.

The characters’ snippy remarks and occasionally vicious outbursts hover on the outskirts of Albee and Bergman territory. With each successive gin-and-tonic, Beverly becomes more dictatorial, yet no one will oppose her. Mousy Angela (Elizabeth Jasicki) follows her around like a sorority pledge, sensible Sue (Lisa Emery) is too polite to overrule her, and silent Tony (Darren Goldstein) is attracted to her. Only the hapless Laurence will defy her, but he’s outvoted.

Ms. Leigh’s fearsome performance as Beverly doesn’t upstage the fine ensemble work. The actors fully inhabit their characters, so that they drift off at times and then rejoin the group, just as people do at a party. Mr. Elliot’s superb staging underscores how little these people have in common; their solitude clings to them at all times.

“Abigail’s Party” takes the measure of suburban loneliness with such skill that one feels it building to a moment of revelation. But that moment never comes. Much talent was lavished on this production, and it’s a pleasure to see so many departments in fine form: acting, directing, lighting, and a terrific set design (by Derek McLane). But the play’s truncated ending leaves you feeling cheated, like a diner who was savoring the main course when the chef abruptly closed the kitchen.

“Abigail’s Party” until January 7 (410 W. 42nd Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, 212-279-4200).