Townhall Players' final performance is 'Don't Dress for Dinner'

The Caledon Townhall Players' final play of the season is the uproarious farce Don't Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti and Robin Hawden. This hilarious and sophisticated comedy adapted from a French farce is set in a stylishly converted farm building. Its fast-paced action presents quite a challenge to the players and lots of fun for the audience with a storyline, which has more twists than a corkscrew!

When his wife, Jacqueline, (Pam Cooper) decides to visit her mother for a few days, Bernard (Wayne Fitzpatrick) seizes the opportunity to have an amorous weekend with his new mistress, the ultra chic model, Suzanne (Jenn Penz) and invites his bachelor friend, Robert (George Komorowski) along as his alibi. Since it is Suzanne's birthday, Bernard has also hired a Cordon Bleu chef, Suzette (Chantal Stavro) to attend to their culinary needs.

Everything is going according to plan until Jacqueline discovers that Robert, who is also her secret lover, will be staying at their place for the weekend. This changes everything for Jacqueline who immediately cancels her trip. With this complication the story quickly moves into the surreal world of high-speed farce as the two men improvise with lightening speed to cover their deceits. It is all carried along on a stream of fast-flying dialogue rife with double meanings.

Bernard attempts to save his romantic weekend with "Suzy" by coercing Robert into posing as Suzanne's lover despite Robert's vehement protests. Fearful of Jacqueline's wrath, Robert is ready to escape back to Paris. While Jacqueline and Bernard have gone to the village for groceries Suzette, the cook arrives and everything is turned upside down when Robert, who did not know a cook had been hired, mistakes her for Bernard's girlfriend Suzy. Hilarity ensues as Robert implores and then bribes her to go along with the pretense of being his mistress. Bernard has no choice but to go along with Robert's mistake and when the real Suzy arrives they have to pretend that she is the cook. So the glamorous Suzanne ends up in the kitchen, expected to cook her own birthday dinner and be a skivvy to a houseful of strangers, while Suzette, the real cook, is transformed into a femme fatale!

One impossible situation is heaped upon another as Robert and Bernard each try to salvage their relationship with their respective mistress. In the midst of this the real cook, the clever Suzette, takes full advantage of the situation, with a price for every deceit. It all comes to a thunderous climax with the arrival of Suzette's jealous ox of a husband (Dave Nugent).

The play is directed by Pamela Niesiobedzki-Curtis by kind permission of Samuel French Ltd. It runs from Thursday to Saturday for three weeks from May 10 to 26.

Dinner theatre is available at Knox United Church (6:15 p.m.) for the first two Saturdays of the run and there is a matinee (2:15 p.m.) Saturday, May 19. The show starts evenings at 8:15 p.m. Some tickets are available at the door on the night of the performance, but it is best to reserve seats by calling the box office at 519-927-5460.

The Caledon Townhall Players prides itself in their promotion of our small town rural community through their work with other community groups. Throughout the year they have food drives and charity nights to assist other associations to meet their goals. Don't Dress for Dinner will have two benefit nights for three local charities Friday, May 11 and Thursday, May 17. In addition, The Belfountain Inn and The Village Bistro offer Thursday and Friday evening specials for theatre patrons if contacted in advance. If other restaurants or groups wish to be part of the CTHP family don't hesitate to give us a call.

Community theatre can be a great way to get involved and to meet new people. You do not need to get up on the stage to be part of the group. Many talents are involved in the making of our great productions, which can certainly rival many professional ones. Some people like to build sets, do electrical or technical work while others may like to make props or costumes or just to help out at the shows by ushering or serving in the kitchen.If interested, check out their Web site www.caledontownhallplayers. com or leave a message at their box office.