Review by Paul Towers, 22/1/24
April in Paris by John Godber
Directed by Leigh White
Produced by Leicester Drama Society
At The Little Theatre til Saturday 27/1/24
“Laughs and tears in equal measure”
Al and Bet are an unwordly Yorkshire couple, together for 10 years and, if the truth be told, rather jaded in their relationship. Al has been made redundant and spends all his time in his shed creating appallingly bad paintings while Bet is the breadwinner of the house. Al feels his masculinity ebbing away as he can’t even afford to go down the pub and drown his sorrows in 8 pints. Bet’s guilty pleasure is doing competitions in her magazines, and she is quite successful in a moderate way, until one day she wins big, a break to Paris, the city of romance. Al, stuck in his self-pitying rut, wants none of ‘that foreign muck’ and won’t go on a boat in case it sinks. Despite all his objections he relents and they set off for foreign climes where a new spring is put in their steps.
As always with John Godber’s work April in Paris is very funny, in fact the first belly laugh comes barely 2 minutes in. As we eavesdrop on Al and Bet’s stagnant relationship there are poignant moments interwoven with the bickering and sniping. What is especially clever is the frequent whispers from the audience when they recognise their own relationship’s foibles being played out on stage.
This is a two-hander and capably played by Steve Feeney (Al) and Kat Seddon (Bet) on a sparse but versatile set designed by Jake Smart where cane chairs and suitcases become bedrooms, ships and restaurants.
April in Paris runs til Saturday 27th January
Pics: Mary Jayne Harding
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