Don’t Dress For Dinner by Marc Camoletti, adapted by Robin Hawdon, Manor Pavilion Theatre – Sidmouth, until 5 July, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: Cormac Richards.

Photo Credit: Andrew Beckett.

Don’t Dress For Dinner by Marc Camoletti, adapted by Robin Hawdon, Manor Pavilion Theatre – Sidmouth, until 5 July,

5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: Cormac Richards.

“A fabulously fun and funny production.”

There are a few elements that are required when delivering a farce on stage; a good script is handy, physicality, great pace in line delivery, plenty of entrances and exits on stage, immaculate timing … the list goes on. For the second play of the Summer Repertory Season at Sidmouth, the Company is serving up ‘Don’t Dress For Dress’ by the French writer Marc Camoletti; a master of the genre. Bernard is organising a weekend with his mistress Suzanne whilst his wife, Jacqueline, is away. He has asked his best friend, Robert, along too to help cover his tracks; but things go awry as various spanners in the works scupper his plans -  chaos and confusion reigns

If this production was a box ticking exercise, then you would have a full house at the end of the evening. A farce needs to grab an audience early and get laughs up front, otherwise, in general, you have lost them already; no worries here, this express train starts hurtling out of the station from the off and doesn’t stop. It is a masterful example of production, acting and directing working in perfect harmony.

A cleverly designed set of four doors and a staircase provides plenty of places for the characters to go and the stage contains virtually nothing except a centrally positioned sofa which almost becomes a character in its own right – it is sat on, stood on, fallen on, trampled underfoot, leapt and stepped over – importantly it gives plenty of room for the action to take place.

Owen Landon’s skill in both physical and verbal comedy is out of the top drawer; he uses his long limbs incredibly effectively and the wicked glint in the eye is almost Terry-Thomasesque in its dastardliness. Rachel Fletcher-Hudson is all poise and elegance as the strong-minded, deceived and deceiving wife; she perfectly captures the spirit of the play and times her put-downs and insults to perfection. As the man caught between husband and wife, Gwithian Evans offers an absolute masterclass in comic acting; a wonderfully mobile face, he has to do little (a look here, a barely audible squeak there) to receive a laugh. His delivery of one particularly complex, tongue-twisting speech, brings the house down; at times there are shades of Lee Evans in his performance - I can’t offer more praise than that. Innocently caught up in the shenanigans, the external caterer Suzette, is perfectly judged by Bridget Lambert, her initial naivety blossoming into a smart, knowing character using the situation to her advantage; the performance brims with delight and charm. Isabella Heaver is spot-on as Bernard’s mistress, Suzanne; elegant and alluring, she gets immersed in the machinations and, sartorially at least, deteriorates throughout; an impressive debut at Sidmouth Rep. You have to wait some time before you meet the sixth character in the play, George, and he is only on stage for five minutes, but in a scene stealing cameo, Thomas Willshire is utterly hilarious and grabs the role with both hands; brilliant. On the hottest day of the year, the cast deliver on every level and the perspiration speaks for itself as they receive the plaudits from a hugely entertained audience.

The skill of these performers is obvious for all to see; the pace of the production never lets up and the physical actions and interactions are precise and the laughs come as a result. The wonder is that such exactitude can be achieved with just five days of rehearsal. This is what repertory theatre is all about, but that notwithstanding, this would be impressive on any stage in the land.

Andrew Beckett’s direction is free-flowing, specific and illustrative of a deep understanding of how this genre works. This is a fabulously fun and funny production and I cannot recommend it enough – you can just sit back, leave your worries behind, laugh a lot and admire all those involved in the production.

Cast

Jacqueline – Rachel Fletcher-Hudson

Robert – Gwithian Evans

George– Thomas Willshire

Bernard – Owen Landon

Suzette – Bridget Lambert

Suzanne – Isabella Heaver

Creatives

Writer – Marc Camoletti & Robin Hawdon

Director – Andrew Beckett

Set Design – Andrew Beckett

Costume Designer – Jan Huckle

Lighting Design – Chris Jackson, Will Tippet

Sound Design – James Prendergast

Set Builder – Rhys Cannon

Stage Manager - James Prendergast

Set Assistant – Dominic McChesney

Artistic Director – Paul Taylor-Mills

Associate Producer - Andrew Beckett