Woy Woy Little Theatre’s production of Don’t Dress for Dinner, set to open on Friday, October 27, for a three-week season is the perfect piece of theatre to lead into the coming festive season.
The French farce by Marc Camoletti, adapted to English by Robin Hawdon and set in the NSW southern highlands is pure escapism of the hilarious kind.
The play sees Bernard planning a romantic weekend with his chic Sydney mistress in his charming converted Southern Highlands farmhouse, while his wife, Jacqueline, is away.
He has arranged for a cordon bleu cook to prepare gourmet delights and has invited his best friend, Robert, along too to provide an alibi.
It’s foolproof; what could possibly go wrong?
You’ll have to book for the show to find out.
Director Penny Dilworth said she was drawn to the play because it was a funny well written farce by the French playwright Marc Camoletti, who also wrote Boeing Boeing about 40 years previously.
“Audiences can expect a classic farce with mistaken identities, lots of doors and a fast-paced dialogue… in a bucolic setting,” she said.
“Hopefully there will be lots of laughs and a fun night out.”
Dilworth has pulled together a great cast to present the show, two of them new to Woy Woy Little Theatre.
“Michelle King is a new arrival to the Coast and comes with experience from the Elanora Players,” she said.
“Mark Venables has performed with Gosford Musical Society but this is his first straight play.
“Sebastian Yule and Kassandra Brown debuted in The Hollows, Liane Porter was in the Appleton Ladies Potato Race and Gerard Minogue was recently seen in The Perfect Murder.
“It has been a big learning curve for all the actors to master the fast-paced dialogue and often physical acting skills.
“I told them at our first meeting that a farce is harder to learn than a drama and I think, now that we are ready for performance, that they agree.”
Don’t Dress for Dinner plays at the Peninsula Theatre for three weeks from October 27.
Tickets are selling fast and can be booked at woywoylt.com or on 4344 4737 (leave a message and a volunteer will call you back).
Terry Collins