The Girl In The Yellow Dress

This is a play about language. It tells the story of two foreigners in Paris: a British expatriate who teaches English and her Congolese male student.

Through five scenes, or grammar lessons, we see their relationship blossom and their inner selves exposed.

The paradox of the production is in Christopher Higgins’s script: it is both the biggest flaw and greatest element.

The play does contain many fine twists, but plot-wise there are no great surprises, and though there are positive aspects to them, neither character is portrayed in a sympathetic light.

However, the playwright'’s wordplay and use of English grammar and syntax to highlight conflict and power is borderline genius. Every moment is so well crafted that it’s hard not to be enthralled, both with the action and in the power of language in general.

This is all strengthened by Malcolm Purkey’s production. His direction is sharp and he allows the words to take almost a hypnotic hold on the stage with some great images and staging. He is assisted by two great performances. Marianne Oldham, as teacher Celia, and Nat Ramabulana, as student Pierre, are excellent, finding shades of humanity in moments when caricature and stereotype could have easily prevailed.

All of this results in a production that is adequate on the surface but contains a deeper and more meaningful soul than it first appears.