Bembridge Little Theatre’s production of We’ll Always Have Paris, with, from left, Fiona Gwinnett, Andy Ball, Martie Cain, Amber Beard and Kim Ball. Picture by Peter Boam.
STAGE REVIEWTHE secret to the success of Bembridge Little Theatre Club’s We’ll Always Have Paris was keeping it simple.
The entire play, comical throughout, was set in a flat in Paris, where retired schoolmistress, Nancy, played by Kim Ball, had taken up residence.
Nancy was joined by two of her old friends, Anna and Raquel, played by Martie Cain and Fiona Gwinnett, and it was soon apparent they had taken very different paths since their school days.
Fiona Gwinnett, an award winner at last week’s County Press Amateur Theatre Awards, was fantastic as the eccentric Raquel, who was known as Rachel in her school days.
Fiona Gwinnett was loud, rude, outrageous and funny, which was perfect for the part of wine-lover Raquel, who had gone through five husbands but was as man-hungry as ever.
Kim Ball, whose husband, Andy, directed and starred in the show as a French actor-turned-handyman, made an impressive return to the stage after an 18-month break.
Kim Ball was very comfortable on stage and it didn’t feel as if she was acting — instead it was like watching a real person, in a real flat, really playing the banker in the French version of Monopoly, which hilariously ended up on the floor after a row between Raquel and Nancy.
The set, complete with dining table, armchairs and a window looking out to the Eiffel Tower, was nicely put together, supplemented by props, including a French baguette and copious amounts of red wine — or so the audience was led to believe.
Congratulations to everyone involved. This was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, which showed you do not need all the fancy frills to have fun.
Reporter: mattw@iwcpmail.co.uk