“Don’t Dress For Dinner”

Highly Recommended ****  The new year of theater has started off with several farces. As a “laugher”, I truly enjoy taking my mind off every day matters and having some fun. One of my favorite little “storefront” theaters, Oil Lamp Theater, in Glenview ( yes, there is a theater in downtown Glenview) is doing Marc Gamoletti’s “Don’t Dress For Dinner” in its very intimate space. Artistic Director, Keith Gerth loves a farce and it shows in his keen direction of this two hours of delightful comedy. Tonight, although the weather prediction was for terrible snow, there was a full house and they were all having a wonderful time. For those of you unfamiliar with this quaint venue, the lobby area is a bar where they have cookies, nuts and candy available. Soft drinks are also available and if you bring your own wine, they will uncork and serve it to you ( no fees). The theater part of the venue is around 50 seats where everyone can see the stage, and if in the first row (as we were) feel the action.

The show, “Don’t Dress For Dinner” is a typical English comedy/farce filled with mistaken identity and mishaps. It seems we are at the country home of Bernard ( Peter Brian Kelly) and his wife,Jaqueline (deftly handled by Claire Yearman). Jacqueline is heading off to visit her mother, and Bernard has other plans for his home. His mistress, Suzanne ( charmingly played by Sarah Brooks) is going to visit him and his best friend, Robert (played to perfection by Tommy Martin) is also coming to be his alibi. Sounds like a typical English plot. By the way, they are in France, but do not have French accents (with one exception).

It also seems that Bernard has employed the services of a cook to prepare the meal for this special night. Her name is  Suzette ( the darling Ashley Jane Stenner, who has great comic timing and is a deight to watch), so if you are paying attention, you can see where one mistaken identity might take place. By the way, Jacqueline is having a “thing” with Robert, so when she finds out he is coming, she puts her mother off to stay. The plot thickens. Who will end up with who? Who ends up doing the cooking? Who ends up in which bedroom with whom?

Two hours of solid laughter ( two acts with an intermission) with a delightful cast of players on n intimate stage in downtown Glenview. Not quite a “weekend in the country”, but pretty darn close. Oh, there is also another character, George (Victor Polites), Suzette’s husband, who comes to pick her up and gets caught up in all the confusion that we have just been watching. The scene when Robert explains the evening to him is amazingly clever and he delivers it with a straight face ( which is a difficult task indeed). The costumes (Colin Bradley Meyer) and lighting (Dave Miller) are well done and the fight choreography (Victor Bayona), dynamic. This is a stage that is very tiny with a lot of furniture, so being able to have fight scenes is not a piece of cake!

If you need a laugh or two, I suggest that you mark your calendar to see “Don’t Dress For Dinner” which will continue at the Oil Lamp Theater , located at 1723 West Glenview Road ( just West of Waukegan Road) with performances as follows:

Show Type: Comedy

Box Office: 847-834-0738

www.oillamptheater.org
There is plenty of FREE parking on the street and in the lot directly west of the building. Tickets are $40 and $25 for students

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Don’t Dress For Dinner”.