Paul Kaburgi’s previous play, Almost The Birthday Party, took inspiration from Pinter, and in this new show, We’ll Always Have Paris, his attention turns to cinematic love stories.
Ginny (Miranda Colmans) is a 40-something who wears cat pyjamas and watches films on a projector. She shares stories about the world of dating, checks out schoolmates on Facebook, and shops in IKEA.
Her fiancé, Jerry, has died, propelling her back into the world of apps, d*ck pics, and online romance. As the story progresses and she connects with Parisian Seb and his gym-bunny abs, scenes from iconic movies flicker around the set.
It’s a clever set, too, made up of individual display panels that can be flipped to take us into richly-detailed locations from a cinema and Ginny’s house, to an IKEA store and a Parisian street.
Cyril Blake plays all the male characters, and there are some curiosities, especially lurking in Tinder DMs. He’s a soothing presence as Jerry, and breezily efficient as the IKEA sales assistant.
The cast is completed by Eliza Williams, who plays Ginny’s mother, her school frenemy, and a sympathetic neighbour. As Ginny starts to cope with loss on her own terms, the relationship between mother and daughter quietly convinces.
Kay Brattan’s direction allows numerous characters into the space, while the film clips from Brief Encounter, Now Voyager, Charade, His Girl Friday and the like offer a commentary on the story and Ginny’s state of mind.
However, a 2-hour running time seems a little excessive for a show that lacks a big dramatic arc. I would prefer a tighter show with some subplots excised – we possibly don’t need the snarky school friend.
We’ll Always Have Paris will appeal to those who find themselves back in the dating pool as well as those glad they have escaped it. It is a smart and funny script that knows when to pull back and offer an emotional kick.
I’m giving this 3 stars.
We’ll Always Have Paris continues at White Bear Theatre until 3 Oct.