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Don’t Dress For Dinner is currently on the Blackhorse Theatre stage

June 15, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

“Oh what a tangle web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

A tangled web indeed.

The Blackhorse Village Players’ production of “Don’t Dress For Dinner” is currently on stage at its Highway 9 and Mount Wolfe Rd. Theatre. It’s a zany comedy of errors where a single act of deception snowballs into a full night of ever-evolving lies and cover-ups.

Written by Marc Camoletti and Robin Hawdon, produced by Jo-Anne Pulfer and directed by Melanie Burgess, the two-act play is set on a rural farm converted into a modern house in the French countryside.

When homeowner Jacqueline, played by Sarah Simpson, decides to take a weekend trip to visit her mother, her husband Bernard, played by Mark Hayward, decides it will be a good time to have his mistress over for a naughty weekend of fun.

When Jacqueline takes a phone call confirming the booking of a woman named Suzette to arrive at the house, a sequence of events is started that throws the entire weekend into turmoil.

Bernard explains that Suzette is a cook he hired to prepare a meal for himself and his long-time friend Robert.

In the role of Robert, Peter Shipston arrives at the rural house as a single man expecting to spend a simple weekend with his good friend.

When Jacqueline decides to cancel her trip, Bernard must quickly come up with a plan to explain the arrival of his mistress, also named Suzette, and he tries to convince Robert to pretend he is Suzette’s boyfriend.

In the role of Suzette, the cook, Franca Ianni, arrives ready to prepare a meal but finds that Robert wants her to play a role in confusing his wife while he figures out how to explain the arrival of his mistress.

When Suzette, the mistress, played by Emily Hargan, arrives at the party, she expects to spend a weekend with her lover. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a mess but plays along, knowing things won’t turn out well if her lover’s wife finds out why she is really there.

While Suzette, the mistress, finds herself in the kitchen trying to cook a meal with no real culinary skills, Suzette, the cook, takes advantage of the situation, asking for more and more money to continue the charade.

By the end of the evening, there is so much confusion, the lies all start to fall apart – almost.

With the arrival of Suzette’s husband, George, played by Chris Cluff, a new round of deception is underway as the jealous George wants to know why his wife, the cook, appears to be dressed for a social engagement rather than dressed to cook a meal.

It’s a full night of comedy where a lie turns into a bigger lie until nobody is really sure how it will all turn out.

Don’t Dress For Dinner is currently appearing on the Black Horse Theatre Stage, with performances on June 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25.

You can reserve tickets by visiting www.blackhorsetheatre.ca.

Don’t Dress For Dinner contains adult subject matter not suitable for children.

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