April in Paris

Lighted Fools moved into new much lighter territory when tackling their latest production ~ John Godber’s April in Paris, which in a series of punchy snapshots reflects the liberating results of travelling abroad. This 1992 play, which has already become something of a period-piece, was nominated as Comedy of the Year but in Richard Parish’s production the first act remained rather humourless and downbeat. It was after the interval, when the Yorkshire couple explore the delights of Paris, the piece came alive capturing the right exuberant style and the laughter really emerged. Here the performances of David Webb and Karen Sahlsberg were bright and sparky capturing the right Godber style combining sharp upfront comedy with an underlying tinge of sadness. It was the Yorkshire scenes which did not quite convince, Karen looking too elegant and vibrant to suggest a naïve, downcast, homely wife who had never travelled much beyond Whitby. The very confined acting area restricted the players which did not help to point the comedy – but verbally these were two very confident performances finding the essential rhythms in the Yorkshire dialogue. Another strong feature of this production was the excellent use of evocative music and lighting to create the shifting locations and moods which compensated for the rather bland visual presentation. The production may not have explored all the humour and life-affirming depths in this demanding script but the second act certainly suggested the joyous, liberating, eclectic pleasures of Paris in April. I am just off the travel agents to book a ticket!

• Type: user
• Performance Date: 04/07/2007
• Star rating: 12345