Don’t Dress for Dinner by Robin Hawdon Published By Samuel French/Concord Theatricals
‘Don’t Dress For Dinner’ is a phenomenally successful comedy (based loosely on an original play by the French author Marc Camoletti) which ran for six years in London’s West End in the 1990’s and has since played constantly throughout the English speaking world, in particular the USA where it has received several hundred productions, professional and amateur.
A major production of ‘Don’t Dress For Dinner’ opened at Chicago’s Royal George Theatre, and transferred to Broadway in 2012 where it was nominated for two Tony Awards and two Outer Critic’s Circle Awards.
Cast
- BERNARD
- JACQUELINE (His Wife)
- ROBERT (His friend)
- SUZANNE (His Mistress)
- SUZETTE (The Cook)
- GEORGE (Her Husband)
Setting
The main living room of a country house some distance from Paris. The place is an old farm building converted with style and taste.
Upstage is the front door. Stage left is a door off to the kitchen and dining room. Stage right is a winding staircase to the upper floor, only the bottom few stairs of which can be seen. Downstage left, and right are doors to two spare bedrooms.
There is a drinks bar, a low sofa, easy chairs, a mirror, and a telephone. Old stone and timber abound. The whole has an atmosphere of affluent rural charm.
Reviews
“Don’t Dress For Dinner’ is funny, really funny – with quick dialogue similar to an Oscar Wilde play.” – Broadway World 2019
“Hurtling along at the speed of light, this breathtaking farce is a near faultless piece of theatrical invention. Within seconds we are drawn into a delicious web of marital treachery which accelerates with classic symmetry to an all-star denouement.” – The Guardian
…the labyrinthine twists and turns are liberally sprinkled with jokes, amiably roared to keep everyone giggling… it gives the whole cast the chance to enjoy themselves going over the top…. the performance is a delight.” – Daily Telegraph
“I feared it would be boring-boring, but it isn’t-isn’t. It’s a nifty comedy farce about double adultery and gourmet cooking… I can’t think of a better way of forgetting the recession.” – Sunday Times
“I found myself having two of the most rib-tickling hilarious hours I have spent in the theatre in some time. It’s amazing what the right combination of smart writing, polished acting and slick direction can do to energize a tired genre…. A text book example of how to create the perfect farce.” – Chicago Style
“The good times are back at the Royal George Theatre. …a series of rib-rousing strokes. All night long. Better yet, you don’t have to suspend your intelligence… in a comedy of confusion that almost collapses under the weight of duplicity, mistaken identity, and extramarital affairs, but somehow stays in the air like a precarious but well-built souffle.” – Chicago Tribune