French without a master : $b A farce in one act

In a modest London hotel, a newlywed French couple arrives with bright hopes and barely any English, while their amiable English fiancé tries to keep the romance afloat amid a tangle of language slips. Their first interaction with the porter and the cashier already sparks a series of charming mispronunciations, polite pretenses, and subtle cultural jabs that set the farce’s lively tempo. The scene is a snapshot of foreign travelers navigating a foreign city, with comedic tension rising from the sheer effort of speaking in another tongue.

The cast expands with an understated interpreter, a weary police officer, and a bemused hotel porter, each providing a foil for the couple’s frantic attempts at fluency. The dialogue crackles with quick‑witted banter, as the characters juggle faux‑pas and earnest affection without ever losing the light‑hearted spirit. Though the humor lands in the here‑and‑now, Bernard’s gentle undercurrent hints at broader observations about identity, pride, and the universal awkwardness of learning to belong.