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DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER by Marc Camoletti 30 April to 17 May 2003 Directed by Simone de Haas Cast List Review Farce Well Done Brett Debritz - Brisbane News - 7 May 2003 It is fashionable in some quarters to look down on farce as the poor cousin of "real" theatre. Central to this assertion is that farces are all the same, because they inevitably feature mistaken identities, opening and closing of doors, and sexual misconduct - real or imagined - with the odd double entendre thrown in for good measure. Well, that's probably true. But, then again, the hero generally dies in a tragedy and the lovers always get together at the end of a romantic comedy. The best argument in the defence of "low" farces is, of course, that audiences love them, and that they often serve as a gentle introduction to more challenging theatrical fare. And let's face it, with the depressing state of the world today, we all need a good laugh. It's a decade since company founders Simone de Haas and Brad Ashwood perceived, correctly, that there was a gap in the Brisbane market for the kind of shows that commercial companies were no longer bringing north and the local subsidised companies weren't interested in. In the past nine years, their pro-am venture has served up such West End favourites as Funny Money, Whose Wife is it Anyway?, It Runs in the Family, Run For Your Wife! and The Norman Conquests, along with comedies by Neil Simon, A.R. Gurney and Dan Goggin. The latest offering, Don't Dress for Dinner, says the advertising blurb, is "about adultery and gourmet cooking". No surprise, at least for those who believe in the stereotypes, that it was penned by a French playwright. The production has a lot to recommend itself - a fact reflected in the constant guffaws from an opening-night audience all too willing to put more intellectual concerns aside and lose themselves in the game of deception played by a couple (Paul Careless and Sandy Harman) who both have lovers on the side. Things get complicated with the arrival, one after the other, of two women with similar names, and soon lies are heaped upon lies to the point where nobody knows who's who. While most of the actors have found the measure of the piece, it is Brad Ashwood (as the husband's best friend and wife's lover) and Stacey Muller (as the cook accidentally caught up in the confusion of identities and intents) who stand out. Muller's cheeky charm and Ashwood's deft command of the tongue-twisting dialogue ensure this comedy remains pacy and amusing when it might have fallen flat in less competent hands. Working together, as they do at the start of act two, they're a scream. The set is basic but it does the job, and the script, while typical of its genre, is not outstanding. Yet, thanks to strong direction, clever casting and finely honed performances, this is among the funniest farces I've seen on the Brisbane stage. Even the cynics among you should enjoy this one. Just don't ask me to explain the plot. |
