Then Comes Love at Civic Theatre

British actress Zoe Lucker and Shane Cortese with director David McPhail in rehearsal for Then Comes Love. Picture / Kenny Roger

Cynics and the broken-hearted had best stay away from Then Comes Love, the new James Griffin play which opened at the Civic this week.

This is one for people who love films like Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral - feel-good, slightly soppy works that celebrate ordinary lives but present them in a polished hyper-real world populated by beautiful people with great wardrobes.

It's a bit of escapism about two people who meet and fall in love, are thwarted and then find happiness. In this story it's accountant Jane and romance writer John who can't be together because they already have a fiance and a wife.

Jane is played with warmth and depth by Footballers Wives' Zoe Lucker in a performance that proves she can't be written off as a soap opera actress. She is both likeable and believable as the moral compass of the play.

As the flaky writer John, Shane Cortese has a more difficult task because his character's behaviour seems more inexcusable. He has thrown himself into the role, growing a beard and developing a strange sort of English accent and some nerdy mannerisms but I am not sure if it is a totally successful characterisation.

He works really hard to make us forget he is Cortese and somehow I just couldn't. There is something slightly unnerving about watching beautiful, famous people pretending to be ordinary Jane and Johns. Even if they are really good actors, it's hard to shake the baggage of past roles.

I am sure I wasn't the only person in the audience holding my breath when he grabbed Lucker and pulled her close for a waltz. It ended up as a simple shuffle like ordinary people do and it wouldn't have been appropriate for him to pull out the Dancing with the Stars moves because it worked perfectly as it was ... but still.

And I guess that's the difficulty with writing about love - especially romantic love. One person's soppy is another's lovely; what's cheesy and embarrassing for someone is just fine for someone else.

It would be easy to write off Then Comes Love because it is soppy and a bit cheesy but I don't mind a bit of romantic escapism. Even though it's not cool to admit liking shows like these, I can be brave and say I enjoy a chick flick moment as much as the next girl.

And James Griffin is a world-class talent - his script has some nice one-liners that give it a bit of bite, David McPhail's direction has the right balance of comedy and pathos, and the leads are likeable.

But there is one element that is uncool - the design and production values of the piece. It feels a bit cheap and a bit mean.

David Thornley's set of three, highly raked platforms are functional in creating the quick change scenes but they leave the actors a little marooned on such a large stage. Nick Schlieper lights a nice golden dawn and a moody hotel but mostly the stage is brightly lit and more atmosphere is needed in some scenes.

Each of the 11 quick-change scenes is marked by a short video montage projected on the back wall. The first image was a humorous progression of the story but montages that followed seemed cliched - for example, the use of a watch to show time passing.

In contrast, music is used well throughout the show to underscore key moments of humour and drama. There is even a great kiwiana moment when the couple have their movie star embrace to that classic party anthem Bliss by The Dudes. No doubt that will be the first thing to be taken out when the play is shopped around internationally.

Overall, the humour and pathos of the script were not matched by the visual and design elements. It is a big cheesy love story and it needs a big look to match the feel. I guess I want more star dust and orchestral flourishes with my romantic escapism.