DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER

DIRECTOR: Steven Stead

CAST: Tim Wells, Clare Mortimer, Bryan Hiles, Janna |Ramos-Violante, Jailoshini Naidoo, Nhlakanipho Manqele

VENUE: Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre

UNTIL: February 26

RATING: *****

Kickstart Productions has developed a reputation for staging internationally acclaimed works on local stages with excellence and Marc Camoletti’s Don’t Dress for Dinner has added yet another feather to their cap.

A perfect piece of theatre for the Valentine’s season, it provides the audience with a laugh-a-minute, light-hearted offering that is a great treat to watch.

Set in a stylish bush lodge somewhere near the Kruger Park, Don’t Dress for Dinner is a highly entertaining farce loaded with a twisted web of a situation involving a snowballing of lies, deceit, mistaken identity and a string of affairs, woven together in a fast-paced plot that will have you in stitches from start to finish.

Bernie (Tim Wells) is looking forward to a special weekend for celebrity mistress, Suzy (Jailoshini Naidoo) and he’s planned it so that his wife (Clare Mortimer) will be at her mother’s for the weekend.

He’s thought of everything – his best friend Rob (Bryan Hiles) will be there as his “alibi” and he’s booked a cordon bleu chef (Janna Ramos-Violante) to whip up a gourmet dinner. What could go wrong? Of course, everything does from the moment Bernie’s wife, Jacky, decides to stay home.

The situation spirals out of control when a small web of lies develops into a colossal quandary. As the characters try to manage the sticky situation, the twists in the plot unfold, resulting in an exaggerated but very amusing show. Stead has done an excellent job directing this play and giving it a South African flavour.

The set design by Greg King, which draws the audience into the luxurious lodge, together with bush sounds for ambiance, make it feel less like watching a show, and more like you are at the lodge, watching this craziness unfold.

A well-planned cast, who perform with distinction is a key ingredient in this highly successful offering.

The entire cast deserves kudos for their individual performances and for awesome synergy on stage. With a script that is fast-paced, and loaded with hectic twists that come about as more and more lies are added to the broth, the cast were in sync throughout.

Wells is highly talented in comedy and what seems to be his natural affiliation to physical comedy is a plus for this show.

Mortimer is a hidden gem in subtle, dry comedy. Hiles’s energy on stage is admirable, Ramos-Violante pulls off an amazing performance as the Afrikaans bokkie of a chef “wie is nie altyd voor op die wa nie”.

Naidoo is a laugh on stage and newcomer Nhlakanipho Manqele has stepped up a notch in his career. I first stood up and took note of this young man after seeing him whip through six characters in Rajesh Gopie’s The Coolie Odyssey in 2010. I was happy to see him in It’s All Fright by Me at The Catalina Theatre last year in a more modern, hilariously funny, character/rapper and now to see him in yet another avatar – also a quality performance. It’s no wonder he walked off with the best newcomer award at The Mercury Durban Theatre Awards last year. Definitely one to keep an eye out for.

A highly pleasurable watch, Don’t Dress for Dinner runs until February 26, with performances at 7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, 2.30pm on Saturday and 5pm Sunday.

Tickets are R130 (R100 discount for students or pensioners). For information on the Special Gala Valentines Performance, see the Valentines wrap story, on Page 3.

• For block bookings and sold performance enquiries, contact Ailsa Windsor at 031 201 2831 or ailswn@mweb.co.za Public booking at Computicket.