The 13th of Paris

SPT understands the difference between schmaltzy and winsome, and in Mat Smart’s comedy, director Shana Bestock goes for the latter. When young Vincent (Trick Danneker) flies to Paris on a whim to visit the vacant loveshack of his late grandpapa Jacques, little does he expect the old man (Frank Lawler) to be there. The play erects two parallel tracks: Jacques’s smooth seduction 40-odd years ago of his wife Chloe (Candace Vance), and Vincent’s own bumpy ride with adorably average Annie (Emily Chisholm). The 13th of Paris succeeds because it doesn’t try to be a centimeter bigger than it is. MARGARET FRIEDMAN [See the full review.]

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