April In Paris

April in Paris written by John Godber is a beautifully written observational comedy for two actors and presents to us a northern couple in a long established marriage in 1992.  Life has become monotonous for Al (played by Mark Lord) after losing his job with only his shed and his paintings, inspired by the local northern landscape, to occupy his time. Bet (played by Kath Evans) works in a shoe shop and finds having her unhappy husband at home all day a strain on their relationship.  We find Bet focusing her time on entering magazine competitions because as she says ‘there is nothing on the telly’ and she is rewarded by winning a romantic night in Paris.

With minimal set, costumes and properties the focus of the evening is very much on the characterisation, dialogue and believability of the performers. I found the opening scene uncomfortable to watch as the scene was set for what can only be described as two intense performances. This is not a criticism but a gritty realism that allows the play to develop and for the audience to appreciate the journey and development of the two characters. The play is full of dry Yorkshire wit, laughter on every page and at times some touching moments. I found myself gripped for both of the two halves of around 45 minutes as the audience squirmed with the cutting remarks and laughed its way to Paris and back. I can only apologise that the audience didn’t clap at the end of Act One because we were all fully engaged in the performance and the time had gone by so quickly.

There is a tremendous amount of dialogue for two actors to learn, both English and French and it was apparent that both performers had spent many hours learning to make the dialogue flow with ease.

Credit must go to Jenny Gregory for the beautiful stylised artwork provided for the set and properties, Rosemary Druce for subtle lighting effects and Shaun Higgins for creating the atmosphere with a wide variety of music and sounds, everything from the Nolans to La Cage aux Folles.

Fiona Ashby as the Director must be extremely pleased as the audience provided a triumphant round of applause in appreciation of an evening of delightful entertainment.

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