Comedy / Characters: 3 male, 3 female Scenery: Interior This boulevard comedy was a smash hit in Paris, where it played for over two years, and in London, where critical acclaim greeted the Apollo Theatre production. Bernard is planing a weekend with his chic Parisian mistress in a French farmhouse. He has arranged for a cordon bleu cook to prepare gourmet delights, is packing his wife Jacqueline off to her mother's, and has even invited his best friend to provide the alibi. It's foolproof; what could possibly go wrong? Suppose Robert turns up not knowing why he has been invited? Suppose Robert and Jacqueline are secret lovers? What happens if the cook is mistaken for the mistress and the mistress is unable to cook? An evening of hilarious confusion ensues as Bernard and Robert improvise at breakneck speed. "Hurtling along at the speed of light, [this] breathtaking farce is a near faultless piece of theatrical invention." Guardian. "Nifty." London Sunday Times Extracts from the reviews of the London and Chicago premieres:- '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 Magazine "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. 'Don't Dress For Dinner' is funny, really funny, with quick dialogue similar to an Oscar Wilde play.' Broadway World 2019 "Is it over the top? Yes. Is it raucous? Yes. Are the physical comedy and innuendos suggestive and bordering on lewd? Yes, a thousand times, yes. Will it take your mind off your troubles? A resounding Yes!" San Diego Chronicle 2024 When asked by the London producer to adapt this very successful French comedy by the author of 'Boeing Boeing' I said yes, but I would need a fairly free hand since many of the continental situations and mannerisms wouldn't ring true for British audiences. I commenced with the great opening crisis situation (the essential ingredient for all comedies) and then more or less let the piece take its course. A play has never written itself so quickly and so breathlessly! One of the U.K.'s most widely produced playwrights. Go to robinhawdon.com New Mint Condition Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon Guaranteed packaging No quibbles returns