A lot can be lost in the translation when you have an American cast playing a British adaptation of a French farce. The complications in Don't Dress For Dinner are premised on a husband and wife who have both arranged at-home trysts with their respective paramours on the same evening, a mistress whose name is very similar to that of the cateress hired for the occasion, and a set having five doors -- three of them leading to bedrooms -- more discussed than slammed.
Fortunately, Stage Right director Peter Verdico keeps his production's pace sufficiently brisk and light-hearted to render the diluted gags funnier than written and the inexplicable inconsistencies negligible (e.g. if the English couple's house is just outside Paris, why does the cook from the local agency have an English accent?). Also making the most of the actors' copious charm -- in particular, Bethany Jorgensen as the protean servant (whose uniform is transformed into a party dress via the most original feat of costuming legerdemain seen this season) -- is Stage Right's intimate auditorium and big stage, which Verdico and his company keep replete with high-speed action and infectious sparkle.
Opened:
July 9, 1999
Ended:
August 15, 1999
Country:
USA
State:
Illinois
City:
Wood Dale
Company/Producers:
Stage Right Theater
Theater Type:
Regional
Theater:
Stage Right Theater
Theater Address:
276 East Irving Park Road
Phone:
(630) 595-2044
Running Time:
2 hrs
Genre:
Comedy
Director:
Peter Verdico
Review:
Cast:
Bethany Jorgensen (Suzette), Alan Gill (Robert), Ann Marie Louriero (Jacqueline), Frank Roberts (Bernard), Kira Durbin (Suzanne), Andy Gwyn (George)
Technical:
Set Decor: Sydney Barton; Costumes: Cara Marie Grabowski; Lights: Charlotte Rathke; Sound: Todd Smith; Properties: Jean Fitzpatrick.
Other Critics:
THIS MONTH ON STAGE Dan Vosburgh/Gayle Kirshenbaum +
Critic:
Mary Shen Barnidge
Date Reviewed:
August 1999
