Playcrafters opens season with ‘Enchanted April’

Who wouldn’t like to spend time on the Italian Riviera? Azure blue water … charming wisteria-infused air … the aesthetics of a Mediterranean villa … it’s a no-brainer. Like a pleasant dream, a delightful ambiance can light up a person’s heart into positive enchantment. For two depressed middleclass London housewives (played by Rebecca Gomezrueda and Erin Hall), the ultimate trip to Italy is their hopeful destination in Playcrafters’ 2023 debut stage performance, “Enchanted April,” by Matthew Barber.

In 1920s post-war society, two women are both intrigued with the idea of getting away from it all. They have had enough with their marriages, as well as the memories of World War I and the devastating flu pandemic of 1918. The only question they have is: Can we afford it? In an effort to infuse some life into their down-on-their-luck circumstances, the women pull up their reins and take charge of their lives. They consider a couple of uppercrust women (played by Courtney Boches and Noel Hanley) to join with them in pooling their money toward investing in a monthlong ladies’ holiday in Italy.

The Tony award-nominated two-act stage play “is a bit different from the book,” said Director Courtney Katz of the novel by British author Elizabeth von Arnim. The production is produced by Ryan Kadwill.

Under the warmth of the Mediterranean sun, the ladies initially clash with each other at the villa (the owner is played by Andrew Lichtenwalner), though things turn around, and they eventually begin to get along as their relationships turn copacetic. That is until their husbands (played by Sam Levy and Sean Collins) arrive on the scene. “Comic relief is found in the housekeeper (played by Sandie

Rollins),” mentioned Katz

Exploring the themes of friendship, gratitude, and appreciation, along with a bit of comedy and drama, Enchanted April engages the characters on a journey where their lives take a turn down a path that begins to bloom. The lighthearted scenes mix with some moving moments and, like fragrant wisteria, lives blossom as lessons are learned and the healing begins.

The play has a takehome message for young and old alike. If you can’t make it to the Italian Riviera this year, the Playcrafters’ stage may lend an enchanting glimpse.

If you go:

Playcrafters presents Enchanted April at the Barn, 2011 Store Road at Skippack Pike, Skippack

April 21, 22, 28; May 4, 5, 6 at 8 pm; April 23 & 30 at 2 pm; April 29 at 2 pm and 8 pm

Tickets: $23.00. Visit www.playcrafters.org or call 610-584-4005