Sometimes a farce is the only amusement that will cure an otherwise bad day. That being the case, Robin Hawdon's translation of Marc Camoletti's charming French bedroom comedy, Bon Anniversaire, does the job. Don't Dress for Dinner, the English version, is meant to keep an audience in tears from laughing so long and so hard.
The plot is simplicity itself. Jacqueline (Sherryl Wynne) is leaving for the weekend to visit her mother while Bernard (Chris Ansoff), her husband, is having a tryst in their converted barn-home with his mistress, Suzanne (Christy Linden). His friend, Robert (Torre Younghans), who was his best man at his wedding to Jacqueline and currently her lover, decides to spend the weekend. Add that the caterer has sent over their best chef, a Cordon Bleu graduate, Suzette (Samaria L. A. Fleig). In the second act George (Ryan Birdseye), Suzette's husband, enters into the confusion. Now, wasn't that simple!
The story's twists and complexity of relationships, lies, and deceit drive the plot, compounding the layering, giving the audience an almost non-stop laugh riot. Ansoff, playing a husband trying desperately to save a romantic weekend and his marriage, begins the constant din of duplicity. Wynne plays the scorned wife with gusto. Her ability to maintain the duality of a wife who has a lover and a wife injured by her husband's having a mistress is in delightful balance.
Younghans' reaction abilities are classic as he hides his character's multiple relationships. Linden's Suzanne, a much better lover than cook, is a study in quiet resignation. One of her opening moments, though, telescopes a potential end to the play. Birdseye, as Suzette's chef husband, is easily a physical threat to the other men. His second-act entrance at the height of total chaotic confusion is quite amusing.
Fleig's Suzette is outrageously funny. Poor Suzette seems to be in the middle of each compounded duplicitous change. This poor cook is expected to play multiple roles as the plot winds its convoluted way to the final resolve.
Director Al Valletta definitely cast to type as well as talent. Sherryl Wynne and Christy Linden have a similar look. Thus, it is quite believable that both Bernard and Robert, obviously with similar tastes, would be attracted to them. Ansoff portrays his character's emotions physically, while Younghans has an absolutely elastic face. Fleig and Birdseye look like a couple.
The costumes, with many changes, complement each actor. The mistresses are elegant in both evening dress and nightwear. One on-stage change by Fleig, aided by Ansoff and Younghans, is low comedy at its best. The set, a barn converted to a country house, works well, but I would have like to see a bit more of the original building.
This is the best play that I've seen at the Sunshine Brooks Theater. The pacing is fast and the comedic timing almost perfect. Don't Dress for Dinner is definitely an audience pleaser. I hope you laugh as much as I did.
