April in Paris (WYP, 13/04/11)

Another night at the theatre, another gamble on something unknown. And another success! All I knew this time going in was that Wendi 'Cilla from Corrie' Peters was in it. Turns out she was half the cast, and Rob Angell made up the other half of this hilarious two hander. I tried to explain how great this show was to my Mum the other day. I talked about the wonderfully realistic relationship that the dialogue and cast both share glory in, the warm, witty verbal exchanges, the glorious use of colour and space in an unusual set, the rather simplistic plot (couple wins holiday to Paris, goes to Paris, come back and miss it) which contains much heart and truth... 

I don't feel I did the production justice though. As with Love, Love, Love there was an opportunity to talk to the cast after the performance (we booked it knowing this). Also there for questions was the writer and director, John Godber, a most interesting raconteur, who made me consider portions of the play from a different angle and revealed more depth that I'd read into it. 

One of the cleverest bits of the show was the way the first part, set in Hull was all black and white - the magazine Bet reads, the character's clothes, even a grey ketchup bottle - and confined to a small linoleum space. Then when they get the ferry from Hull there's a splash of colour as an orange bouy appears to represent the ship. After the interval, the curtain came up to reveal a set that filled the stage, with lit up Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe and Moulin Rouge providing a spectacle as Al and Bet wandered around in colourful clothing, their eyes opening to the world beyond Hull. Based on April in Paris I will definitely look out for other plays by John Godber whose name I didn't know before Wednesday.