The 230-foot-long, medieval-era Bayeux Tapestry is among the most famous textiles in the world. But its needlework intricacy cannot hold a candle to the voluminous, embroidered lies told by a group of naughty adults desperate to avoid being exposed (in both meanings of the word) during a weekend rendezvous that goes bonkers in the uproarious farce “Don’t Dress for Dinner” at North Coast Rep.
Unfaithful husband Bernard has plans for romance in the French countryside with his mistress while his wife, Jacqueline, is away. He’s hired a top-notch cook to prepare a lavish dinner and, to keep the neighbors from gossiping, has devised an alibi of respectability by having his best friend, Robert, as a house guest. So far, so good except Jacqueline gets wind that Robert – who happens to be her secret lover – is in town and promptly cancels her travel plans in order to sneak in a dalliance.
The arrival of Suzanne the mistress and Suzette the cook prompts Bernard to cajole the women to swap identities and puts Robert on the spot to pretend the faux Suzanne is his mistress. Suzanne readily agrees to the subterfuge, afraid of Jacqueline’s wrath. Suzette plays along only after having her palm greased (repeatedly) with escalating amounts of banknotes. Deer-in-the-headlights Robert pours himself a tall one and is soon on his second bottle of vodka.
A dynamo cast keeps the story racing along as the audience pitches forward in its seats laughing its collective head off. Brian Robert Burns as Bernard goes convincingly from Casanova to completely undone as the indelicate situation becomes more indelicate by the minute. Kim Morgan Dean as Jacqueline is pitch perfect as a posh sophisticate who becomes a street fighter when she realizes Bernard’s betrayal. Brandon J. Pierce creates real empathy for Robert, who just wants to return to his cat and Paris apartment. The comedic timing of Katy Tang as the can’t-boil-water Suzanne, set loose in the kitchen, makes even a fallen souffle hilarious.
This brings us to Veronica Dunne who is a marvel as she takes Suzette from plain-vanilla gig worker to equal opportunity blackmailer to party girl who dances a mean tango. In each incarnation, Dunne steals scene after scene. Late in the story arrives George, played by Jared Van Heel, looking like a colossus on stage. He gives an unforgettable turn as Suzette’s irate husband.
Set designer Marty Burnett captures the wood-and-stonework look of an upscale country estate fashioned from what was once a barn. This motif allows sound designer Chris Luessman to playfully interject atmospheric bursts of rooster crowing, cow mooing, goat bleating and donkey braying. Runway-worthy fashions for the women and tailored menswear that, ultimately, give way to pajamas and lingerie are the boffo work of costume designer Elisa Benzoni. Props design by Kevin Williams. Light design by Matthew Novotny.
At the helm is director Christopher Williams who brought considerable muscle memory to the task, having acted in North Coast Rep’s first production of the hit show, 16 years ago.
by Lynne Friedmann
