Theatre Review: Don't Dress For Dinner

Last night I saw "Don't Dress For Dinner" at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson.  The $18.00 senior citizen discount ticket was worth every penny.  This is a typical French bedroom farce: Mistaken identifies, deceit, bribery, pratfalls, cheating husbands, cheating wives, mistresses and lovers.  But even though the plot line has been done repeatedly in every farce this play was full of laughs and surprises throughout.  The cast was excellent.  In particular James Schultz, whom I have seen now in several Theatre Three productions.  I am always impressed by his comic timing and how he dissolves into his character.  He is not an intentional scene stealer.  It is simply that he is heads and shoulders more talented than the rest of a very good cast.  A standout.  To quote the Times Beacon Record, "James D. Schultz ... In one word, outstanding. Every line he delivers, every movement he makes, every facial expression is so on point that the man the theater has come to know as James Schultz completely fades into his depiction of Robert. In fact, he is so humorous that there are brief moments when you will miss some of the other character's responsive lines because you will be laughing so hard."  He is that good!

But as much of a Schultz fan I am becoming, I would be remiss if I did not mention the rest of the excellent cast.  Amanda Geraci was hilarious as a hired caterer asked to impersonate the friend's mistress, then his niece, then the mistress again. I laughed repeatedly every time she asked for another 200 Francs to keep her employers happy and their lies a secret.  Marquez Catherine Stewart was also funny as the lead's voluptuous girlfriend, forced to impersonate a cook although, as expected, she had no cooking skills. She definitely had a few scene-stealing moments. Regina Schneider was the lead's wife - often humorless and imperious - but the part called for that.  And Mark T. Cahill played Bernard, the cheating husband completely flustered for two hours as he tried unsuccessfully to hide his deceit from his wife.

I am very fortunate to have such excellent local theatre nearby my home. The price is excellent and it only takes 30 minutes to get to Theatre Three as opposed to 2 hours to get to Broadway.

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