In the mood for a French farce?
BrightSide Theatre’s “Don’t Dress for Dinner” brings hijinks to the stage through March 13 at the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall in Naperville.
Showtimes are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
With its own brand of hilarity, a farce offers a unique theater experience.
“You get permission to do big things and work without a net, so to speak, making big choices that have to land to cause the next thing to happen at the right moment and time,” explained Director Aaron Henrickson of Chicago. “Actors are asked to alternate between being silly, witty — all at a high rate of speed.”
That speed and physicality can be challenging.
“It can very tricky to navigate the extremes of physical comedy as you are also learning more about the characters in more honest moments, only to have to rev back up for another raucous moment,” Henrickson said.
“Don’t Dress for Dinner” is an English adaptation of “Pyjama Pour Six” by French playwright Marc Camoletti. The show is a follow-up of sorts to another Camoletti farce — “Boeing-Boeing” — which is centered around Bernard and Robert.
“Two old friends who spend their young adult life getting each other in and out of sticky situations often involving ladies and the like,” Henrickson said. “But in our show Bernard is now settled down and married to his beautiful wife Jacqueline.”
However, things get complicated when Bernard calls up his old pal Robert to help him conceal an affair.
“Robert is forced walk a tightrope between keeping his own affair a secret while covering up his friend’s affair in the process — and all the while trying to prevent everyone from finding out that everyone is sleeping with someone they are not supposed to be sleeping with,” Henrickson said. “And, as they say, hilarity ensues.”
Six actors will bring this over-the-top comedy to stage, complete with plenty of twists.
“Our cast is wonderful to work with — it’s a fun escape from our day-to-day lives,” Henrickson said. “This was such a joy to do for all of us, many of these actors are returning to the stage for the first time since everything went crazy with the pandemic and it has been a freeing and joyful experience all the way around.”
Of course, there’s a bit of a message tucked into all the absurdity.
“The show is about how we lie to ourselves to stay happy,” Henrickson said. “Ignorance is bliss.”
After “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” the final production of the Naperville professional theater company’s tenth season will be the beloved ABBA musical “Mamma Mia!” in June.
BrightSide Theatre’s ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’
When: now playing weekends through March 13
Where: Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville
Tickets: $31-$36
Information: 630-447-8497; brightsidetheatre.com/shows/dontdress/
Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
