BY DAVID LOCKWOOD

For any drama company seeking a guaranteed ‘crowd-pleaser’ they need look no further than a piece of work from the pen of John Godber.

April in Paris is but one of a string of his successful down-to-earth plays and perfectly illustrates why the Yorkshire-born author is one of the most performed writers and is a perfect fit for Huddersfield Thespians.

Alistair Cheetham playing Al and Laura Womersley playing Bet.
Alistair Cheetham playing Al and Laura Womersley playing Bet.

This brilliantly-written comedy revolves around a middle-aged couple Al and Bet, whose marriage is suffering from acute boredom.

Al’s long-term unemployment has left him with little or no self-esteem and he spends most of his time in the garden shed while wife Bet seeks escapism from her job selling trainers and the almost eternal marital bickering by entering magazine competitions, without any success, until one day she actually wins a romantic break for two in Paris.

What ensues bears more than a passing resemblance to two idiots abroad as we discover that the more we travel, the more we become dissatisfied with life at home.

Alistair Cheetham as Al and Laura Womersley as Bet from April in Paris.
Alistair Cheetham as Al and Laura Womersley as Bet from April in Paris.

The two-hander, directed by Lynne Whitaker, depends on the expertise of the performers and Laura Womersley as Bet and Alistair Cheetham as Al both give terrific performances and handle the northern humour with aplomb.

“It says here that most men would prefer a pint to having sex with their wife,” reads Bet.

“What sort of pint,” replies Al sardonically.

April in Paris ends this evening, but if you’ve nothing else planned tonight get down to the LBT and I guarantee you will have a thoroughly enjoyable evening in the company of two very accomplished actors in a deliciously-written comedy.