Thame Players’ next production, showing at the Players Theatre from 9th -13th May, will be Paris Tales, a new play by local playwright and cartoonist Robert Duncan.
The play is set in one of those delightful little cafés, not far from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It’s the regular rendezvous for four writers who meet and chat over a glass of wine at a table outside in the sunshine. They’ve had varying degrees of success with their work and each one writes in a different genre.
One day, they are sitting outside as usual, enjoying the sunshine, laughing and teasing one another, when a romantic young couple arrive and sit at another table. When the pretty girl goes inside the café, and is gone rather a long time, the writers speculate on just what might be delaying her. Their imaginations run wild and four quite different scenarios unfold. But which writer guesses what happens correctly? Players Theatre’ audiences will be first to find out!
The idea for Paris Tales first came when Robert Duncan was sitting outside a Paris café with his wife Cathy. When she went inside the café, he had the sudden thought that this was all too perfect: what if she never came back? He thought about various possible scenarios, should she fail to return. She did come back, of course, and when Robert explained what he’d been thinking, Cathy encouraged him to turn the idea into a play.
About fifteen years later, Robert finally got round to writing the play, based on the four writers’ interpretations of the girl’s disappearance. Paris Tales is now being presented on stage for the first time by Thame Players. It’s an enjoyable piece of escapism, written in a light-hearted and amusing way, and is sure to send audiences home with a contented smile on their faces.
As Robert says, “I am delighted that Thame Players are performing Paris Tales for the first time, and congratulate them on their brilliant interpretation, which includes an ingenious set with great lighting and features a bunch of the best local actors you could find anywhere. You’re sure to enjoy this whimsical Parisian adventure!”.
