Enchanted April: A perfectly timed play to help in the transition from winter to spring

Lotty convinces Rose to create a better future.
Photo courtesy Edmonds Driftwood Players

Enchanted April 

By Matthew Barber

Novel Elizabeth von Arnim

Directed by Paul Fouhy

Edmonds Driftwood Players

February 17 – March 5, 2017

Review by Doug Gochanour

A perfectly timed play to help in the transition from winter to spring

Relationships are tricky. Some men say that a wife should come with written instructions, but most men don’t read instructions anyway. Resulting unhappy relationships may lead to feelings of constriction, and eventually, to the desire to get away. That scenario plays out here. Lotty Wilkins (Molly Hall) and Rose Arbuthnot (Beaven Walters) are two weary housewives, who each share the frustration of an “empty relationship.”

The post World War I London setting was a difficult time for most everyone, but especially for women in a male dominated society. Lotty is able to capture a vision of a better future as she embodies the power of positive thinking. She invites Rose to join her in escaping their depressive environments. Rose is less certain of the vision, but goes along with Lotty.

The four women experience transformations at San Salvatore
Photo courtesy Edmonds Driftwood Players

Lotty and Rose find an ad for the rental of an Italian Castle for the month of April. It offers the enchantment potential they need. To share the cost of this rental, they bring in two more women, who also have a need for such an adventurous getaway. Once there, the ladies fall under the spell of their sun-drenched surroundings, while dealing with their personal lives and relationships.

For the four women, their experience is much more that just a hedonic vacation. They have the opportunity to explore the differences in their personalities, reassess their goals, and reexamine their relationships.  Each of them transforms into a new, better person, while Lotty and Rose bring empty relationships back to life from the doldrums.

You will be glad to experience the romantic conclusion of Enchanted April. Perhaps we can come away with visions for bettering our own relationships. In any case, this production is certainly excellent, from cast, crew, sets, and all the technical details. Don’t miss it.

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Driftwood Players at the Wade James Theatre in Edmonds, 950 Main Street, 98020
Purchase tickets online or call 425-774-9600.