REVIEW: We’ll Always Have Paris at White Bear Theatre from 15 - 3 October 2026

“wonderfully clever and versatile performers” ★★★

We’ll Always Have Paris is an amusing and sometimes sad romcom which makes huge demands on its three-strong cast. The best thing about the production at the White Bear is the tremendous professionalism and versatility of the actors, all of whom are on stage most of the time (well, at least, Miranda Colmans is on stage pretty well throughout the show).

Director Kay Brattan has not made it easy for them. A lot of what she has put in works nicely. A clever arrangement of columns makes it fairly easy for the cast to change the set. A rack of French magazines, prominently displayed, shifts the action neatly to Paris.

But the White Bear Theatre is a small L-shaped space, and the performance area, in the corner of the L, works best for an intimate play with a director who wants to work with the space. In this case, there is just too much of everything – too much set, too many props, too much music. It needs less impedimenta, or more space.

I think the team is aware that the production needs to be simplified. Whatever can be done in two days will be done.

This will help the audience to take in the story, which zips along nicely, aided by some clever pieces of social observation: “Stop projecting binary gender identities on animals. Progressive, eh?”, “Gerry and I were building a life together. Before that I had not built so much as a Billy bookcase” and Billy, for your information, is an IKEA brand bookcase.

Ms Brattan can certainly spot a good actor when she sees one. Cyril Blake and Eliza Williams are wonderfully clever and versatile performers. They each play several parts, and are sometimes hardly offstage before they must come on again as someone different. This requires really special skills of an actor. Of course we know we are seeing the same actor, but he or she must give us enough to help us suspend our disbelief, and they never let us down.

But the real burden of the show falls on Miranda Colmans. She plays the protagonist, Ginny, whose love life is what the play is all about, and she never leaves the stage. The burden of making the show works falls on her. If the part is not played well, the play fails.

Colmans puts in a tremendous bravura performance. She takes us along with her moods, her ups and her downs, her happiness and her heartbreak. We laugh with her and cry with her, and it is Colmans we remember as we walk out of the theatre.

We’ll Always Have Paris produced by Exit the Garret in association with Open Page Production will play at White Bear Theatre from 15 September - 3 October

Box office link: https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/we'll-always-have-paris

Writer: Paul Kalburgi

Producer: Exit the Garret in association with Open Page Productions

Director: Kay Brattan

Cast

Ginny: Miranda Colmans

Jerry and other arts: Cyril Blake

Trish and other parts: Eliza Williams

Reviewer Francis Beckett’s latest play is Make England Great Again at Upstairs at the Gatehouse.