After a first scene that's as dull and expository as only openers of American comedies from yesteryear can be, Dinner at Eight quickly reaffirms its status as a classic by layering character quirks and tangled relationships into a story both funny and still satirically stinging. As soon as preening Carlotta Vance (the ever-treasurable Marian Seldes) arrives at her old beau's office seeking financial advice, the machinations click into high gear and stay there till the slightly deflated ending.
Though Christine Ebersole's Mrs. Jordan is all chatter with little matter, other cast members who shine include Enid Graham as a piquant maid, Mark Lotito as an intimidating servant, Byron Jennings as a self-destructing actor, Joe Grifasi as the agent who tries to slow his fall, Emily Skinner, a revelation as a pampered wife (by way of Anna Nicole Smith) and Joanne Camp (in her best performance in years) as a doctor's wife who knows very well what's ailing him. Highly recommended, if only as a reminder of how much American plays have lost by having to scale their casts down to chamber size.
