In Don’t Dress for Dinner are, from left, Dominic Pope, Jayne Morris and Traci Stockman.
STAGE REVIEWWHAT an affair Don’t Dress For Dinner at Shanklin Theatre proved to be.
This clever play, full of twists and turns from start to finish, was funny, frantic, flirtatious and fabulously delivered by the excellent Spotlight IW cast.
Set in a farmhouse on the outskirts of Paris, everything seemed to be going so well for Bernard, played by Dominic Pope, who had planned a weekend with his lover.
That was before his wife, Jacqueline, played by Traci Stockman, cancelled a trip to see her mother, with Bernard’s lover, Suzanne (Jayne Morris) already on her way.
Bernard forced his best friend, Robert (Daniel Brisco), to act as his alibi but he had his own secret to hide, before things got even more complicated when the cook, Suzette, played by Charlotte Brisco, was mistaken for a prostitute.
Comical twists had the audience continually wondering what would happen next and it never disappointed.
It was hard to single out any individual as the on-stage chemistry between them all helped make the complicated tale easy to follow.
Husband and wife, Daniel and Charlotte Brisco, both gave accomplished and confident performances.
Daniel was convincing as Robert, brilliantly playing the role of someone who had the world on his shoulders, desperate not to let slip any of his or Bernard’s dilemmas.
Charlotte was equally impressive in her role as the dizzy cook, who ensured she would profit from all the controversy.
Don’t Dress For Dinner runs at Shanklin Theatre every Tuesday until July 31, then every Wednesday in September.
Reporter: mattw@iwcpmail.co.uk