In a nutshell, Between Shifts Theatre's (BST) latest production, the zany, lightning-paced farce Don't Dress for Dinner, can be summed up quite neatly: Everybody gets screwed.
At least that's how Whistler actress Tara Bowland, who plays Jacqueline, describes the winding plot, an English adaptation of famed French playwright Marc Camoletti's 1985 two-act, Pyjama Pour Six.
"It's very French-minded; everyone is screwing everyone. Maybe I shouldn't say 'screwing,' but that's kind of what's happening," Bowland says.
The latest play from Squamish's award-winning theatre company, Don't Dress for Dinner is a lighthearted sequel to Boeing Boeing, which drew sold-out crowds when it played the Eagle Eye Community Theatre back in 2015. (You don't need to have seen the original to follow the plot.)
The story follows playboy Bernard (Maclean Falkins), as he arranges a romantic weekend with his sophisticate mistress, Suzanne (Sara Marrocco), while his wife Jacqueline is out of town. He has arranged for a Cordon Bleu chef, Suzette (Jessica Kelly), to prepare a gourmet meal, and invited his best friend Robert (Michael K. Hewitt), to tag along—and to provide an airtight alibi, should the need arise. Only thing is, Robert and Jacqueline are having a secret affair of their own and, determined to stick around for the weekend, Jacqueline decides to forego her planned getaway to the countryside. Sharing a similar name with Suzanne, the chef is subsequently mistaken for Bernard's mistress, adding more confusion to the proceedings. Alibis are mixed up, the lies begin to pile up, and the chaos only deepens as the characters try to keep their stories straight—all to hilarious effect.
"It's a farce. It's panic-driven. Nobody really ever tells the truth, put it that way," explains director Janice Carroll.
The shifting identities and motivations of the main characters presented both an opportunity and a challenge to the cast, who also had to contend with the play's frenetic pacing.
"The way the dialogue is written, it's very fast and snappy, as most farces are, but it's also the ability to snap between panic and playing it suave, keeping it cool and collected, and then three seconds later, it goes back to, 'Oh-my-god!' panic mode," says Hewitt. "So being able to track all that throughout the show is certainly a challenge, but it's also a lot of fun. It gives you a freedom to play."
Hewitt, who directed Boeing Boeing four years ago, moved from the director's chair to the stage at the 11th hour after the role of Robert had yet to be cast, tapping his longtime friend, Carroll, to take over for him.
"It's been exciting for me to dust off the ole' acting shoes and get back onstage," he says, adding that playing the role of Robert has been "a lot more work" than directing. "There are so many words to memorize, and the blocking and everything, whereas in the director's seat, you get to have fun with your actors and explore different things," he explains.
While there are some socio-economic themes underlying the play, Carroll, who co-directed The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble for BST alongside Hewitt last year, tells audiences not to expect the same opportunities for contemplation that more traditional forms of theatre offer.
"You know how in real life or a (drama), there's an opportunity to reflect? There's no opportunity to reflect here. The idea is the audience gets caught right up in the sheer ridiculousness of the situation," she explains.
"I think what we can do as an audience is sit back, reflect and watch with a certain amount of our own feeling smug, thinking, 'Yep, I would never do that.'"
Don't Dress for Dinner plays in Squamish at the Eagle Eye Community Theatre from April 4 to 6, and 10 to 13, at 8 p.m. Tickets at betweenshifts.tickit.ca.
