Hull New Theatre, Hull – until 22 May 2021.
Reviewed by Dawn Bennett
5*****
Part of Hull Theatres The Prologue Series, a socially distanced event.
I was so pleased to be back in a theatre and to see this absolute gem of a play by John Godber.
April in Paris starring Joe Pasquale as Al and Sarah Earnshaw as Bet. It was wonderful casting with them playing the parts so well. The chemistry between them made you believe that they were a couple stuck in a rut after being married for years.
Her shifts at work had been cut, with not many customers coming in and his building jobs hadn’t been happening either. Conversations between them had also dried up and they seem to have very little to look forward to. With Al trying to persuade Bet that going out with her sister was a much better option than going out with him.
Bet longs for holidays abroad, sun kissed beaches and exciting city breaks, she tries to follow her dreams by entering competitions in magazines, much to Al’s dismay to the amount she enters. But it all pays off when she wins a holiday to Paris, in April out of Hull with P&O Ferries.
We follow the characters from their small Hull home to the capital of romance, we see them enjoying the all inclusive buffet on the ferry, the walks around Paris, the architecture and the art. Also they begin to talk to each other and enjoy each other’s company again.
Godber’s ability to write about real life with such style and accuracy makes the audience empathise with characters and the humour caused lots of belly laughs!
Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaws acting made this play for me, the glances, the pauses, the timing was brilliantly done.
Definitely a five star performance and Hull New Theatre deserves five stars too for its organisation to enable everyone to have a night out at the theatre for the first time in well over a year!