North Coast Rep Brings Back "Don't Dress for Dinner"

A Very French Humored, Early 90's Piece

A Blog View by Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti

(Bottom to Top) Jared Van Heel, Kim Morgan Dean, Veronica Dunne & Katy Tang - photo by Jason Niedle

This season is going by quick! What I have seen with theatre companies for the last couple of years is how they are listening to audiences' requests. In this case, North Coast REP had done the French farce Don't Dress for Dinner in 2008 with audiences asking for its return. Written by the French playwright Marc Camoletti and adapted by the English playwright and novelist Robin Hawdon for English-speaking audiences, the play debuted in London and, six years later, in 2012, raised the curtain on Broadway. Curiously, Christopher Williams who starred in NCR's 2008 staging, is directing the piece now. 

'Dinner, is indeed very French, with naughty, silly humor. Summarizing the plot to not spill or spoil, Bernard (Brian Robert Burns) and Jacqueline (Kim Morgan Dean) are in their renovated French farmhouse two hours away from Paris. Jacqueline is getting ready to visit her mother for the weekend while her husband will host his best friend Robert (Brandon J. Pierce) and has hired a Cordon Bleu cook, Suzette (Veronica Dunne) for an amazing feast. Turns out, Bernard meticulously planned the soiree to also host his lover Suzanne (Katy Tang). As Jacqueline is leaving, she answers the phone with the catering company confirming Suzette. The confused wife decides to stay and do some damage of her own. Bernard pleads with Robert who in a pickle negotiates with Suzette and drags Suzanne along for a pretzel of a ride that involves cooking, fake relatives, unknown relationships, substantial alcohol, and added fees. 

Marty Burnett's version of the renovated ferme, is cozy with a couch, a bar, and a couple of doors that tend to the vaudeville-ish action of the fast-paced comedy of entanglements. Burnett even included the characteristic farm wooden bar going up the stairs where actors functionally traveled while delivering their lines. Kevin Williams's props are key in this piece as they work for passing dialogues and scene transitions that have the audience's attention focused and ready. Christopher Williams's direction was on point, having experienced the piece's essence on stage, the deliveries reached the punches catching and going with the audience's reactions having a nice setting for the actors to play with. Each cast member truly owned their stage time printing humor and wit to the dialogues. Brian Robert Burns is hilarious as Bernard, being a victim of his own shenanigans and apparently having a carry-over with Jacqueline, strongly portrayed by Kim Morgan Dean who moves smoothly along with her cast mates. Katy Tang as the spoiled Parisian model, oblivious to all the happenings, has great comebacks truly embracing the femme fatale look. Jared Van Heel is the cherry on top as the unexpected George, bringing the play to the second inning with great rapport. 

The costume design goes hand in hand with the dialogue, almost literally, between spilled drinks, dressing the part for dinner, and after... Elisa Benzoni understood the assignment and brought varied pieces for Bernard and Robert along with cute and sensual apparel for the female cast. 

Brandon J. Pierce is really the axe of the story as Robert has involvement with all the characters, and his interactions with Veronica Dunne as Suzette are pure gold! Dunne is funny and surrenders to great physical comedy. I do have to say, that in the play itself and the playwright's lines, at moments, even though yes, funny, it seems to be outdated and very "80's" as there are remarks about particularly Suzette's physical appearance and glossing over a stereotype of how a woman model should look. Those statements alone, reflect -white male- in the late 80's early 90's. The relief in this is Dunne coming out the other end and truly winning over the audience being a crowd favorite for sure. That is where the beauty in theatre and performance lies. Speaking of 80's and 90's (also dating myself) this piece reminded me so much of Three's Company and the short-lived spin-off Three's a Crowd as the style and even the gold-ish bright lighting is typical of those times. Matthew Novotny aced it, pinning the lighting to match the vibe and setting along with Chris Leussman's sound design that was crisp and went through with no issue. 

Farces can go any way. It can be something that lays flat as a pancake or, in the case of 'Dinner, land the jokes and bring a fun time at the theatre. Definitely, the audience's reaction also plays a role in this dynamic as it activates the feeling while at moments coming in unison to celebrate a laugh.

Having a few performances left, the show already extended is closing on August 18. See if you can snag a seat HERE.