BWW Reviews: APRIL IN PARIS, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, August 26 2014

While her husband Al continually mocks Bet's love of entering competitions, she never seems to lose hope. Things are fairly tense between the pair as Al has recently lost his job and Bet is unhappy with her own career. Their children have moved out and they are left alone together for the first time in over twenty years.

Luck begins to change for the couple when Bet finds out that she has won a romantic trip to Paris and while Al is initially relucant to try anything new, he decides to give it a go. Although the trip gets off to a rocky start, they both discover a new sense of adventure during the holiday. The play also concludes nicely as they have to return to regular life after the trip and see if they can keep their new found enthusiasm for life when they are back in their normal surroundings.

Yes, it's predictable but that doesn't make the performance any less enjoyable. The two lead roles are played by Shobna Gulati and Joe McGann who have a big enough stage presence to make you forget that this is only a two-person play. Written and directed by John Godber, some of the dialogue is a little cheesy and the jokes will make you roll your eyes, but it's all good fun.

I found the sound to be a little faint during the performance which was a pity as the piece is very dependent on the dialogue. The lighting is excellent throughout and the set is simple but effective and suits the nature of the play very well.

April in Paris is on tour around the UK.

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