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Don't Dress For Dinner by North Coast Repertory Theatre  The economy might be in the toilet, but that’s not stopping
anyone from laying down money to see people in the bedroom. North Coast
Repertory Theatre’s production of Marc Camoletti’s bedroom farce Don’t Dress
For Dinner is packing them in so tight that they’ve had to extend the show
a week. And the ones packed in there are getting a temporary laugh-filled
relief from all their troubles as the characters in the play keep getting in
deeper and deeper trouble of their own, but trouble out of their own naughty
making…
Rosina Reynolds directs this romp that begins in a placid mountain cabin (Marty Burnett’s always impressive design). Bernard seems especially eager to get his wife Jacqueline out of the cabin to see her mother. What Jacqueline doesn’t know is that Bernard has his lover Suzanne coming out to meet him. But what Jacqueline does discover is that her own lover, Robert, is on his way out to the cabin to visit Bernard, a discovery that causes Jacqueline to cancel a visit to mom’s in favor of a stay at the cabin and a chance for a little room-swapping in the night. A development that seriously complicates Bernard’s best-laid plans. Completely unaware of his wife’s affair, Bernard convinces a reluctant Robert to pretend to be Suzanne’s boyfriend as a cover. A cover that gets its lid blown off when Robert mistakes Suzette, the caterer, for Suzanne. Which may be a serious problem, as Suzette’s husband is a violently jealous type. Thus flows the ever-increasingly tangled web of lies, schemes, and misunderstandings as the characters go through a lot of fast-thinking and nervous moments, and seem to keep missing out on any romantic payoffs. The cast keeps the energy and zaniness high. Lisel Gorell-Getz stars as the daring Jacqueline who is perfectly willing to take some risks to be with Robert, and perfectly pissed to hear that he’s Suzette’s boyfriend. Phil Johnson is the scheming Bernard who is determined to bed Suzanne no matter how bizarre the night gets. Christopher M. Williams is Robert, the seemingly one guy in the bunch who has some genuine feelings for his lover and at least a little moral compunction (and the sense to be truly nervous about the dangerous escapades). Amanda Sitton is proving to be one of San Diego’s most versatile actors, expertly using voice and body language as the hilarious and somewhat ditzy Suzanne who is willing to roll with most of the shenanigans so long as she gets to roll with someone eventually. And then there’s the couple who runs into this bizarre foursome. Jacque Wilke is Suzette, a delightfully pragmatic caterer who is cashing in on this job. And Matt Thompson is her slightly crazed husband George who doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, and they all better hope it stays that way. Appropriately, the whirlwind of a night ends with some Benny Hill exit music and the actors coming out of the rooms to take their bows with JBF hair and grins.October 22 - November 23, 2008
Rob Hopper ~ Cast ~
Jacqueline: Lisel Gorell-Getz Bernard: Phil Johnson Suzanne: Amanda Sitton George: Matt Thompson Suzette: Jacque Wilke Robert: Christopher M. Williams Director: Rosina Reynolds Scenic Design: Marty Burnett Light Design: Matt Novotny Costume Design: Michelle Hunt Souza Sound Design: Chris Luessmann Props and Set Dressing: Bonnie Durben Stage Manager: Aaron Rumley |
