Without further ado, here is my pros-versus-cons rundown for The 13th of Paris by Mat Smart, at Greenlake’s Bathhouse Theater until June 13th:
Cons:
- A love story set in Paris? How cheesy is that?
- Bah, humbug. Love sucks
- French people, even American people pretending to be French people, get on my nerves
Pros:
- A love story set in Paris. How romantic!
- I love stories about love
- French people are charming and if you don’t think so, YOU suck
A young man impulsively flies to his grandparents’ old apartment in Paris to “find the true meaning of love”. Vincent is in a relationship but despairs that it’s mundane pleasures don’t measure up to his grandparents’ grand passion, leur affaire du coeur. Frank Lawler (pictured), who plays his wry, wise grandfather Jacques with a not-bad French accent and sparkle in his eye, is the show’s highlight – never mind that he is a ghost. Vincent reveres his grandparents’ old love letters , but there is a mystery about them – why are they all from Jacques except one from his grandmother Chloe? Comic relief comes from some very loud and outrageous friends who drop by in the middle of the night, a deeply flawed by nevertheless loving couple who tell Vincent the heart of the matter: “She’s not perfect, and neither am I, but we love each other”. When Vincent’s girlfriend Annie shows up he discovers that love, not even the seemingly-perfect love of his grandparents, is never perfect, and they end up joyfully tossing all the love letters over the balcony.
Through the course of the 3 plays I have reviewed this season, the Bathhouse Theater has gradually debunked the importance of the written word, from a publisher obsessively reading stacks of paper that seal his fate and that of everyone he knows, to a giddy young couple in love throwing an entire stash of ancient love letters out the balcony of a Paris apartment. Given the (naturally) very close resemblance of the different sets in the Bathhouse, the change is liberating.
Try a contest inspired by this play called “Write A Love Letter!”:
Write a love letter to Seattle Public Theater, or your favorite actor, or your spouse, your loved one, your Mother, your dog…anyone you like! . . . we’ll post some of them on our blog page. By the end of the run of The 13th of Paris on June 13th, we’ll choose the best letter and send the winner a prize…Wine? Chocolate? Write us a letter and find out! Send it to:
Love Letters
Seattle Public Theater
7312 W Green Lake Dr N
Seattle WA 98103
Better yet, send that love letter directly to your loved one, the rewards will be even greater. Even if they aren’t perfect.
Now, stop reading this and start living!