French Without Tears, theatre review: Love and frolics for the bright young things

Paul Miller’s enjoyable production bustles with youthful insouciance, says Fiona Mountford, and features appealing performances from Joe Eyre and Tom Hanson
Light-hearted: French Without Tears offers a fascinating pointer towards themes Rattigan would explore more fruitfully in later plays
Richard Davenport
Fiona Mountford15 October 2015

Terence Rattigan completists, among whom I am happy to count myself, won’t want to miss this. French Without Tears provided 25-year-old Rattigan with his first big West End hit in 1936 but is rarely revived now. On the one hand, it is easy to see why: it is very much of its era, as well as of a specific milieu that our more egalitarian times have a tendency to mock. On the other, it offers a fascinating pointer towards themes Rattigan would explore more fruitfully in his later, now highly valued dramas.

Paul Miller’s enjoyable production bustles with youthful insouciance, as well it might. This is a light-hearted play about a group of young bucks who plan to go into “the Diplomatic” and are brushing up their French at a private language school. They’re all in love with femme fatale Diana (Genevieve Gaunt), much to the disquiet of assistant teacher Jacqueline (Sarah Winter). Diana, a woman born — or perhaps, unsettlingly, educated — to strut, is in no hurry to choose between them.

Joe Eyre is appealing as the lovestruck Kit, as is Tom Hanson as the bluff and hearty Brian. As the frolics abound, there’s gradual revelation of greater substance below the surface froth. Two images of womanhood are presented: vampish Diana and emotionally literate Jacqueline, but the men are flummoxed when confronted by either. They prefer safety in their jocular, same-sex numbers.

Until November 21, Orange Tree, Richmond (020 8940 3633, orangetreetheatre.co.uk)

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