Posted 10:45 pm Friday, September 03, 2010
French Farce Provides Consistent Laughs At TCT
By STEWART SMITH
Entertainment Editor
The laughs come quickly and consistently in the Tyler Civic Theatre's latest production of the French farce "Don't Dress for Dinner."
Entertainment Editor
The laughs come quickly and consistently in the Tyler Civic Theatre's latest production of the French farce "Don't Dress for Dinner."
Opening tonight in the Braithwaite Theater, "Dinner" the two-act play takes place in a small French farmhouse outside Paris, where Bernard (Andy Poston) is eagerly awaiting the weekend departure of his wife, Jacqueline (Kay Poston). Bernard's best friend, Robert (James McLane) is arriving, but only as a cover for the arrival of his mistress, Suzanne (Lea Holland). Naturally, nothing goes according to plan once Jacqueline learns of Robert's arrival (the two are having an affair, you see) and she immediately concocts an excuse to remain at home. Combine this with Robert's confusing the arriving cook, Suzette (Jenny Zagst) with Suzanne.
Robert, not wanting to reveal Bernard's infidelity, quickly tries to cover for his friend by claiming Suzette is his mistress, but at the cost of ruining his own fling with Jacqueline. Suzanne (who arrives late, thanks to Robert stealing her taxi) must now pose as the cook while the cook poses as Robert's mistress/niece/actress/model (and any other assortment of identities Robert and Bernard push on her). Things finally come to a head once Suzette's husband (Stephen Rainwater) shows up to collect her for the evening, resulting in some of hilarious and absurd concoctions, excuses and leaps in logic.
Obviously, everyone would be so much happier if they would just come out and admit their infidelities. After all, one can't rightly remain mad at one's unfaithful spouse when one is engaged in the very same act. Well, logically, the answer is "no," but logic has never been the strong suit of characters in a comedy. The characters in "Dinner," (well, most of them, at least) act very, very illogically, much to the audience's benefit.
Most of the humor springs from these illogical encounters, usually when Robert or Bernard (or both) are desperately trying to modify their story about who these women are and why, precisely, they are visiting the house. Suzette quickly picks up on their desperation and bilks the duo for all their worth, tacking on a 200 franc "surcharge" each time they concoct a new portion of her "identity."
The play may be set in France, but don't let that scare you off. The humor is firmly universal with nary a cultural reference to obscure the laughs, further proving that misunderstandings and frantic behavior are funny regardless of location.
Like most comedies, the laughs are all in the timing and thankfully, the cast assembled for this production are more than capable at hitting their marks and keeping the proceedings as light and absurd as necessary. The cast is solid as a whole, though Zagst and McLane provide the standout performances. McLane plays up Robert's exasperation and desperation with a light touch while Zagst revels in Suzette's blatant opportunism.
Everyone gets at least one or two moments to flex their comedic chops, though, providing a nice balance in the laughs. And while there is constant reference to infidelity, the humor is largely clean and audience-friendly, though some may be put off by the use of a few mild profanities depending on their sensibilities.
This isn't anything earth-shattering, sure, but it's a solid, funny play performed by a cast that is clearly having a fun time on stage.
"Don't Dress for Dinner" opens tonight in the Braithwaite Theater. Admission is $18 per person. Additional performance dates will be on Saturday and Sunday, with encore performances beginning Wednesday through Sunday, Sept. 12. Sunday matinee performances are at 2:30 p.m. All other performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
For tickets or additional information, contact the Tyler Civic Theatre Center at 903-592-0561 or visit www.tylercivictheatre.com.
