Furlan Productions

Sunset puts on a delicious comedic romp in ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’

By MARILYN JOZWIK

Everyone loves the Abbott and Costello “Who’s on First” skit with its cascading array of misinterpretations.

Imagine a similar bit going on for a little over 100 minutes, adding lies, purposeful confusions, hidden infidelities, as well as a host of misinterpretations, and you have the heart of “Don’t Dress for Dinner.”

The show, Sunset Playhouse’s current offering, is a dizzying series of farcical conversations meant to cover up a couple of affairs. Sunset’s cast, under the direction of Michael Pocaro, has successfully met this monumental challenge thanks to an ensemble of six who can handle the quickly developing situations and snappy dialogue expertly.

I realized early on that the show is remindful of “Boeing, Boeing,” which Sunset also successfully staged in recent years. The similarities are due to the fact that Marc Camoletti wrote both shows. Robin Hawdon adapted “Don’t Dress for Dinner.”

While “Boeing, Boeing” relies a lot on the classic farce device of people hiding behind and popping out of doors, “Don’t Dress for Dinner” is almost strictly a linguistical romp. Time and again the characters must utter a whole series of misunderstandings to cover up for themselves or someone else.

The story is set in 1960 in a country home – actually quite a tastefully renovated farmhouse – outside of Paris. Married couple Bernard (Keith R. Smith) and Jacqueline (Lori Nappe) are preparing for Jacqueline to spend the weekend away with her mother. Meanwhile, Bernard has invited his mistress Suzanne (Allison Chicorel), while his wife is gone, and arranged for Suzette (Ella Folkerts) from an agency to cook a romantic meal. Bernard’s friend Robert (Tyler Peters) has also been invited, as an alibi.

The plan looks like a good one for Bernard, until Jacqueline learns that Robert – who ironically happens to be her secret lover — is spending the weekend with Bernard. So, Jacqueline cancels her weekend with her mother in order to reunite with Robert.

Bernard finds out too late that his wife will not be gone for the weekend, but his friend as well as his cook and his lover are all on their way to his home with no chance of anyone’s stopping their arrival (these are the days before cell phones!). 

Bernard convinces the unattached Robert to pretend that Suzanne is actually his – Robert’s– girlfriend, which sends Robert into a tizzy as he had hoped to share a secret liaison with Bernard’s wife that weekend. Complicating the complicated matters, Robert mistakes the cook Suzette for Bernard’s mistress Suzanne. And so on and so on.

While there’s lots of movement, most of this show’s comedy comes from the witty dialogue and fast-paced repartee. When Bernard asks Robert, “Is the coast clear?” he responds, “I don’t know about the coast, but it’s darn foggy around here.”

Director Pocaro has the players in a near constant state of motion, taking on all sorts of poses all over the couch and all over the room. Their movements are purposeful as they strut and run around the ample living room, ramble up and down the stairs, saunter into the kitchen or off to bedrooms that were once a cow stall and a piggery, stop frequently at the bar for libations and cower at accusations. There is not a dull moment as the attempts to mask the infidelities create a mountain of lies and some of the most preposterous conversations and situations, which end up with the men getting pummeled and even – in Bernard’s case – battered with a variety of liquids, prompting him to deadpan that he’ll “put on (his) wet suit.”

This is an amazing ensemble cast, with my favorites being Peters’ Robert and Folkerts’ Suzette. The two are perfectly cast and easily handle all the tricky dialogue and physical comedy. Their loopy tango – at which point Suzette is believed to be Robert’s niece — during the dinner party to open Act II is great fun. In that scene, Suzette is told to pretend she is Robert’s niece, which moves her to deliciously deliver the line: “You’re quite a dishy hunk, unc.”

Peters is perfect as Robert – expressive, but not so much as to look cartoonish. At one point his adept retelling of a laundry list of lies elicited applause from the audience.

Folkerts’ cook character is asked to play several characters – for which she insists on money up front from Robert and Bernard in a funny running bit – in order to conceal the affairs. Folkerts whisks among her dinner party incarnations with great comedic flair, at one point telling her employers: “I should get an Oscar for this.” Indeed.

Smith and Nappe as Bernard and Jacqueline are also quite adept. I loved their characters’ straight-faced confessions looking out at the audience, stock-still, in Act II, a perfectly timed pause — albeit short one — in all the madcap madness that only added to its effectiveness.

I’ve seen Chicorel, who played Bernard’s model-girlfriend, play this sort of role a number of times and she is always spot-on with her timing and audience engagement, just as she is here, jockeying between moments of bemusement and lividity. Nick Zuiker as Suzette’s husband George makes a brief, but pivotal appearance toward the end of the show that really wraps things up nicely.

Nick Korneski and Matthew Carr designed a good-looking, wide open stage, adding stone accents for the farmhouse feel and allowing performers lots of room to roam and romp. And they needed every inch of it.

If you go:

Who: Sunset Playhouse

What: “Don’t Dress for Dinner”

When: Through May 6

Where: 800 Elm Grove Road, Elm Grove

Info/Tickets: 262-782-4430; www.sunsetplayhouse.com

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST review By MARILYN JOZWIK

At first blush, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” might appear an odd choice for a holiday show. But after seeing Sunset Playhouse’s lavish, fun-filled and thoroughly entertaining production there’s no doubt it was a wise choice. Plus, the transformation of the Beast is not unlike those in other holiday stories, like “A Christmas Carol.”

From the opening scene it is apparent the show is something special. A handsome, spacious set of large, dark side staircases is mostly in shadows as the full, accomplished orchestra – playing Alan Menken’s beautiful music — accompanies the scene in the prince’s foreboding, yet opulent, mansion where a ball is taking place. The prince is arrogant and selfish. His unkindness catches up to him after an old woman casts a spell, turning him into an unsightly Beast and his servants into objects. If the Beast can find a woman to love, who will love him in return, the spell will be broken.

Sunset’s version has all the makings of a full-scale Broadway production in the skilled hands of director Karl Miller and music director Mark Mrozek.

Each character we see is beautifully costumed, perfectly cast and gives a memorable performance as his or her unforgettable character. If this were a cake, Belle (Stephanie Staszak), Gaston (Tim Albrechtson), Lefou (Jim Donaldson) and the Beast/Prince (Keith R. Smith) would comprise it. Lumiere and Cogsworth would be the frosting. The remaining cast would provide sprinkles and other decorations, some to a greater degree.

The first act moves quickly. We learn about Belle, the widowed inventor’s daughter; both father and daughter are considered odd by the townsfolk in their French village. Belle is beautiful, but always has her nose in a book, which gives her escape from mundane village life. The town blowhard and braggart, the handsome Gaston, is convinced no woman would refuse his proposal of marriage, including Belle, whom he aggressively woos in his most arrogant manner. His sidekick, LeFou, only bolsters his selfishness and rudeness.

Belle’s world is turned upside-down when she goes searching for her father (Tom Marks), who has become lost deep in the woods and seeks shelter in the Beast’s mansion.  The Beast throws the intruder in a cell, which is where Belle finds him. She unselfishly offers to replace her father in the cell, where she becomes the Beast’s prisoner.

This development brings hope to the servants, who have been turned into a candle holder, clock, woman’s bureau, teapot, teacup, and feather duster. If they can tame the Beast’s unruly manners, perhaps he and Belle could fall in love, which would break the spell and turn them all back into humans.

In Act Two we see lots of the characters at the mansion, and these are an absolute delight. Topping that list are the stellar performances of Richards’ Cogsworth and Welch’s Lumiere. I have always enjoyed Richards’ performances and I missed seeing him in recent productions. His Cogsworth is a scene stealer as he toddles around in a near constant state of consternation, spouting off in a sort of snooty, affected English to the audience’s delight. Welch follows up on an outstanding performance as Cornelius in “Hello, Dolly!” with his Lumiere. Welch moves so well as the tall, stately candelabra swaying and bending like a graceful tree, while capturing a French accent nicely. The two play off each other wonderfully. They also are most comfortable with the objects they’ve been turned into. They move and act so easily in their characterizations that they are a surprise when seen as humans.

Of course, you wouldn’t have a successful “Beauty and the Beast” without a wonderful Beauty and a wonderful Beast, which is the case here. Staszak brings all the right qualities to the lovely Belle, including a lovely singing voice. She shows her wanderlust, her love for her father and her disgust for the loathsome Gaston. But her tenderness is really apparent in the moving finale as she expresses her love for the wounded Beast in a tear-inducing scene.

Smith’s Beast is also well-drawn. I really like all his soft growls and groans as he struggles to become charming. When he is told to be a gentleman by his servants, he repeats the line several times until the final time when he utters “be a gentle man.” It would have been perfect if his voice would have had a deeper timbre more befitting the Beast.

Albrechtson has all the bravado needed for the arrogant Gaston and leaves no doubt as to why he is admired by the villagers for his looks and athleticism as he sings “Gaston” with the ensemble. He is the ultimate chauvinist, dismissing Belle’s reading habit by saying, “Soon she’ll start getting ideas and start thinking.” Donaldson, as always, gives an energetic characterization, this time as LeFou, Gaston’s sidekick, mugging expressively to make for another memorable character.

As Madame De La Grande Bouche, the singer turned into a woman’s bureau, Sharon Tyler has the perfect diva presence and a soaring soprano voice to add effortless top notes to ensemble pieces.

There are so many outstanding scenes here, it’s hard to know where to begin. Every one is a gem. “Be Our Guest,” which features the dancing dinnerware and other kitchen items, is a centerpiece, marvelously staged with clever choreography and beautiful singing to Howard Ashman’s and Tim Rice’s clever lyrics.

The dancing is crisp, with all performers at a high level. The mug routine in “Gaston” is a picture of precision.  I especially enjoy watching A.J. Pawelski, who appears in several roles with sparkling presence and dance energy.

There are so many, many small moments that are gems, really showcasing the humor and wit in the play. I just love when the servants gather on the stairs as the Beast visits Belle in her room to convince her to have dinner with him. His anger quickly rises and the servants all encourage him, each in his/her own way in words and actions, “to breathe.” A funny bit.

 The servants, also including Marcee Doherty-Elst as Mrs. Potts, Agrim Cincotta as Chip and Lydia Rose Eiche as Babette, really gel and are so much fun to watch in “Human Again,” as they mull the possibility of returning to their former lives.

The finale with the entire cast is an incredible, joyous celebration, a perfect way to put a cherry on this exquisite holiday dessert.

If you go

Who: Sunset Playhouse

What: “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”

When: Through Dec. 23

Where: 800 Elm Grove Road, Elm Grove

Tickets/Info: 262-782-4430/www.sunsetplayhouse.com  

Ghosts

Any reputable theater is supposedly haunted. Indeed, Sunset has its share of ghost stories, although I have never seen or heard any phantoms myself.

Well, unless we count the dozens and dozens I’ve costumed, that is.

In October I designed both the adult and junior versions of Addams Family, which meant finding or building costumes for countless ghostly ancestors. Eighteen in the adult cast, probably close to 30 in the junior cast…that’s a lot of ghosts. The fun part of doing those shows was that those costumes could come entirely from my imagination. There are no preconceived notions of exactly what the Addams Family’s ancestors look like, so as long as I pulled ideas from many times in history, I felt confident that the audience would accept my choices.

There is a slightly different challenge with my latest group of ghosts (yes, add more ghosts to my costuming list!)…the four iconic spirits in A Christmas Carol. Unlike the aforementioned wildly imaginative ancestors, the spirits in A Christmas Carol are firmly fixed in most people’s memories. Whether having seen the show on another stage, on TV, or even in the Mr. Magoo classic cartoon, nearly everyone has an idea of just what the ghosts are supposed to look like.

I don’t believe that it is the job of a costume designer to simply copy what someone else has done (although, believe it or not, there are no patents on costume designs so I could copy one exactly if I wanted to), so I have been striving to find my own vision while staying true to what the audiences will expect. Jacob Marley needs to be ragged and ghostly, more on the order of the Addams Family ghosts and decided less cheerful than the Ghost of Christmas Present, who should call to mind a jovial Father Christmas. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come must be intimidating and terrifying. Those three are portrayed similarly enough in every show to help guide my own design.

The Ghost of Christmas Past has been the most challenging, especially since every production seems to portray that spirit in vastly different ways. I needed to find a look that would suit this particular ghost’s demeanor and would provide a sharp contrast to Marley, whose arrival directly precedes that of Christmas Past.

All four of these Christmas spirits definitely have their own identities and looks. I hope that audiences will appreciate each of them in their own right, and that Sunset’s newest cast of ghosts will “live” up to expectations!

Joanne Cunningham