April In Paris

So, due to ill health, the three nights of John Godber had become two nights of John Godber with a night off in-between! ‘Teechers’ had blown me away, ‘Bouncers’ had been put back a week … and that left ‘April In Paris’. It was not only one I had never heard of, but (as it turned out) one that did not follow the usual JG format of a small cast playing multiple roles. As I re-took my (still warm) seat at the Angles Theatre the set was even more sparse than on Wednesday and with the Friday night audience numbering only about 25, there was an air of nervous anticipation circulation around those dusty rafters. However, with two of the best amateur performers in this area working together (alone and without much of a safety net) it was a perfect end to the week, as was the lack of rain in Wisbech! ‘April in Paris’ is a beautifully written two-hander that shows us a northern couple in a long-established marriage. With Al losing his job, life has become monotonous and only his shed and a love of painting are keeping him going. Bet works, but she finds the strain of having her unhappy husband home all day, everyday is starting to take its toll. Her passion for entering magazine competitions is rewarded when she wins a short break for two in Paris… and the rest is pure magic. With no set, no costumes, not very much music and only a few back projections for embellishment, this was character acting at its most exposed. Luckily the two actors laid bare were Wendy Coles and Ian Jones and, in a tight spot (pun intended Robert Williams) like this, they are the two you would always choose. As you can see from the lack of words below this will be a really short review. Not because the play wasn’t good - it was brilliant! With two performers who were undeniably and universally fantastic. No, it will be short because that is nearly all there is to say. Wendy Coles is just about the finest female comedy character actress I have ever seen. Always performing within her range, she is just a complete joy to watch. With just a slight gender orientation change (she becomes he) the same can be said of Mr Jones. Between them they have notched up countless performances of pure genius and have never even come close to disappointing me in any parts they have played. Now here is the interesting bit, so pay attention. This was Wendy Coles finest performance to date …. and this was also Mr Jones finest performance to date! Coincidence? I don’t think so! I would normally qualify that by saying … ‘at least in my opinion’ but not this time… that is not opinion, that is fact! They didn’t just wade through a mountain of some of the most difficult dialogue I have ever heard, but they managed to act to a standard that I have only seen a couple of times in my life and … I include all the professional productions alongside the amateur ones. They had just two chairs and a coat each and yet I was gripped for both the two halves of around 45 minutes, without even thinking about looking at my watch! You could have put this on at the Haymarket and Coles and Jones would not have looked out of place. Brilliant, Brilliant…. Brilliant! Having not a single criticism I am now stating to runout of other things to say, so, I will switch immediately to the awarding of penultimate paragraph honours. They go …. to….. Mrs Jones. For those of you who don’t know her, she is the very pretty lady who sits up the far end of the front row with the book in her hand in case a prompt is required. Not just for this production I hasten to add, but for all Wisbech Players productions. This may had been a RATz production but there she was, head bowed and glued to that script. Now I know Ian Jones very well and, on the rare occasions he needs a little verbal stimulus he gives his dear wife a very hard stare. On this cold but surprisingly dry night in Wisbech, Coles and Jones had waded through so many words with complete ease, and then, as we entered the last 8 minutes Jones throws out ….that stare …. I held my breath ….. Mrs Jones looked up… she looked down…. and she said nothing. Mrs Coles quickly got them back on track and they finished the production prompt free. Mrs J, my hat is off and if I have ever overlooked you before, I will never do so again. One other, very important thing to say about ‘April In Paris’ is that, with no set, costumes and therefore (fundamentally) no scene changes, Director Gay Hoyle delivered one of the finest pieces of technical and artistic direction I have ever had the honour to witness. It was truly remarkable. In a play where nothing happens how is it possible for her to have made it all so interesting. Every turn, every look and lean, every pause and every eyebrow raise .. was pure genius and Mrs Hoyle must take a minimum one third of the credit for a remarkable night’s entertainment. Nothing about this production was less than perfect (hard stares not withstanding) and everyone involved should wallow in the glory of a stunning night of theatre. I am breathless!

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