Don’t miss Don’t Dress for Dinner — Playgoers of Lethbridge’s October dinner theatre, which runs until Oct. 24 at the Country Kitchen underneath the Keg.
After a delicious meal of roast beef and all the trimmings, bask in the hilarity of a well put together and hilarious dinner theatre.
But don’t get too comfortable, because things quickly get complicated for the audience as they try to follow the escapades of Bernard (played by Milo Smith) his wife Jacqueline ( Aimée McGurk) and Bernard's best friend and his wife’s lover Robert ( Jeff Charlton) who comes over for a visit. Jacqueline is supposed to be out of town so Bernard can have a special birthday rendezvous with his mistress Suzanne (Chris Peterson).
Things quickly go awry as she changes her plans to rendezvous with Robert while Bernard ropes Robert into covering for his affair with Suzanne. Meanwhile and the cook Suzette is mistaken for the mistress, a niece and countless other roles.
Suzanne, the actress/ model/ mistress is forced to assume several other roles as well including the cook.
And just when it looks like all of the lies will hold, the cook Suzette’s husband played by a convincingly crazy Mike Rolfe shows up and things get complicated again.
One could break one's brain trying to follow the logic of the actions of these characters so it is just best to sit back and enjoy the ride as the stellar cast run amok on stage, exchange rapid fire dialogue and a few apt physical comedy bits.
Names get mixed up, the cook gets 200 francs every time she plays along with one of the every growing pile of lies flying back and forth, roles get reversed and there are misunderstandings galore.
The cast deserve extra kudos for professionally pulling together in the face of Meredith Pritchard having to step out of her role as the cook Suzette after suffering a concussion on Sunday.
McGurk is convincing as the shrewish Jacqueline. Charlton plays the more or less straight man Robert trying to help his best friend Bernard out of a jam while trying to keep his own affair a secret. And Smith easily plays the lovable rogue Bernard who causes all the consternation.
Chris Peterson is sexy and sultry as she embraces in her role. Mike Rolfe almost steals the show at the end as Suzette’s crazy, ill tempered husband who inadvertently helps everything end happily ever after.
Director Monique Prusky admirably steps in like a pro to fill Meredith Pritchard's big shoes. She is adorable and conniving as she meshes perfectly with the outstanding cast.
Their snappy dialogue is spot on, the laughs are in the right places an the cast are enjoying themselves whether taking part in quick witted, dazzling repartee, physical comedy involving a seltzer bottle and ice or just trying to keep everything straight.
The first act is 75 minutes long and a lot happens in that time. The audience needs a bit of a break to catch their collective breaths after that.
French playwright Marc Camoletti’s 1987 French farce “Don’t Dress for Dinner” takes place after dinner, Oct. 20-24 at the Country Kitchen (1715 Mayor Magrath Dr S). Cocktails are at 6 p.m., dinner is served around 6:30 p.m. with the show following. Tickets are available for $50 in advance at CASA.
