“Dressed” for Success at TA: a review

October 13, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Scott Johnston

A cheating husband has arranged for his wife to be out of town for the week-end. His mistress is coming over, a cordon bleu chef has been engaged to provide a fancy meal, and his best friend is lined up to provide an alibi.
What could possibly go wrong?
Pretty much everything.
That’s the scenario in Theatre Aurora’s current production of the French farce “Don’t Dress for Dinner”, now playing at the Factory Theatre.
This entertaining play by Marc Camoletti has all the ingredients of a good farce; exaggerated situations, plot twists, misunderstandings, rapid pace, an increasingly convoluted story, and much physical comedy.
Central to the plot is husband Bernard, played by Imra Sazbo. Little does he realize that his best friend and alibi Robert (Jamie Sherman) is himself secretly having an affair with Bernard’s wife Jacqueline (Julie Foster), who has ended up staying home.
Complicating matters is that Bernard’s mistress Suzanne (Jo-Anne Pulfer) is arriving at the same time as the similarly named chef, Suzette (Melanie Hargan).
Adding a final plot twist near the end is the arrival of George, played by John Fetherson, who comes with his own agenda.
As you imagine, with the five main characters in the same house at the same time, and all of them struggling to pursue their own agendas, it becomes increasingly challenging for them, and entertaining for us, to keep all their interests and secrets secure.
The complicated script is well-handled by the actors, who make their characters and motivations believable through the rapid-fire wordplay, reactions and physical comedy.
Making use of the simple set, a good script, and great actors at her disposal, director Barb Jones maintains the non-stop pace necessary to make this play a success.
Theatre Aurora hasn’t performed many farces in recent years, which is a shame, because with the right combination of cast and crew, as is the case here, they lend themselves beautifully to this smaller local theatre.

Evening performances of “Don’t Dress for Dinner” continue at Theatre Aurora, 150 Henderson Drive, October 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22, with a matinee on October 16. Tickets are available through the box office at 905-727-3669.