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Vive le Cricket! will make its debut on stage in Paris on July 30, just four days before it premiers in London at the Camden Fringe Festival.

Parisians will get first chance to see the play, which is predominantly in English, downstairs at The Highlander at 8 Rue de Nevers, close to St Michel and Pont Neuf metro stations.

The audience is limited to 50 although the public should be aware that there may not be seating for all. The play is 55 minutes long. Entry is free but because of the limited space please reserve your tickets here.

The performance begins at 19h30 although the downstairs bar will be open from 19h00. If you arrive early the upstairs bar will be open from 17h00. the downstairs bar will remain open until 22h00.

Vive le Cricket! is a one-man show which follows the fortunes of Rex, an Englishman in Paris who commentates on cricket for French television, as he attempts to convert France to the summer game.

In the course of his odyssey, he picks at the roots of the game in France and the missed opportunities for it to flourish while encountering a number of other characters, most of whom don’t seem to share his love for the game.

It even touches on the current scandal going on within the French game.

“I am thrilled to be kicking off in Paris, it is the spiritual home of the show,” said Barney Spender who plays Rex and co-created the show with NG Bristow.

“The Highlander is a terrific pub and the cellar makes for a wonderful wee auditorium. I was lucky enough to be involved with a poetry night there in January and it was terrific.

“Judging by the people who have said they are coming there will be plenty of journalists and commentators in the room looking to compare notes. But you don’t have to be in the trade or even a cricket fan to enjoy this one.”

Spender plays Rex – and all the other characters – in his return to the stage after a 38-year absence during which, among other things, he commentated on cricket in French!