JOE Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw will star as Al and Bet in John Godber’s classic comedy, April in Paris, which will tour the country next year, coming to Southampton in February.

Both are starring in Mayflower Theatre's pantomime this Christmas and are looking forward to making another socially distanced return with this hilarious play.

In John Godber’s touching and hilarious classic, we go into the heart of one ordinary couple’s life as they go on both the journey of a lifetime and a journey into their relationship.

Al and Bet are in a rut. Married for 26 years, their conversations are running dry and life has taken its toll. With his building work sparse and her shifts at the shoe shop getting few and far between there’s little to look forward to, apart from a possible ABBA tribute show in Wakefield and the odd trip to the pub. But Bet has dreams. She longs to walk with the Pharaohs in Egypt, sunbathe on golden beaches and climb Alpine mountains, all fuelled by her love of magazine competitions with holidays as prizes. Finally, her luck changes; she wins a night away for two to Paris in April, via a luxury trip on P&O Ferries out of Hull.

John Godber said: “April in Paris is one of my favourite plays and I’m very excited about this new version with Joe and Sarah, directed by my long-time friend Richard Lewis. I hope that Al and Bet’s trip to the French capital helps to raise the spirits and even a laugh or two, as they rekindle their romance amidst the baguettes, Beaujolais and the steak tartare! The play’s message, that we need to be kind to each other, seems to me to be more relevant now than it ever was before!”

Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw had begun the second UK tour of Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em when theatres were closed by the Government because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so they are delighted to be able to go out on the road again.

Joe adds: “To say I’m excited about performing April in Paris would be an understatement, for lots of reasons. One of the things that is so important is that we will be on the front line with one of the first shows back into the theatre after such an horrendous year.... and we shall be flying the flag, so to speak, to the naysayers who say it can’t be done. If you think outside the box, anything can be achieved.”

Comedian Joe Pasquale has delighted audiences with his live stand-up tours for over 30 years. Along the way he’s voiced characters for Hollywood movies Garfield: A Tale of Two Kittens and Horton Hears a Who! He was crowned King of the Jungle in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here and hosted the long-running television series The Price is Right for ITV.

April in Paris runs from February 22 to 24.

Tickets are on sale now from mayflower.org.uk or 023 8071 1811.