Get ready to laugh yourself silly at Frinton Summer Theatre’s production of
Don’t Dress for Dinner at McGrigor Hall for the 2023 season
Frinton Summer Theatre’s McGrigor Hall season concludes for 2023 with the hilarious comedy, Don’t Dress for Dinner from 15th to 19th August.
Don’t Dress for Dinner is the sequel to a memorable Frinton Summer Theatre favourite, Boeing Boeing, which thrilled audiences in 2018. This year, Marc Camoletti’s comedy masterpiece continues the chaotic tale of the promiscuous Bernard and his extra-marital adventures in Don’t Dress for Dinner, a huge hit when it first opened in London and ran for six years.
Set several years on from Boeing Boeing, Don’t Dress for Dinner catches up with the hapless philanderer Bernard, and he’s up to his old tricks. Having arranged for his wife Jacqueline to visit her mother for the weekend in order to import his mistress to their country cottage for cover, he has invited his oldest friend Robert for dinner. Little does he know that Jacqueline has learnt from her husband’s behaviour and has become Robert’s lover.
Once Jacqueline discovers that Robert is coming too, she cancels her visit to her mother. She decides to stay, setting off a string of comic mistakes, mishaps and machinations on an increasingly funny and frenetic scale.
Don’t Dress for Dinner is a fine example of a door-slamming farce at a furious pace, perfect for providing an incredibly joyful and fun-filled end to Frinton Summer Theatre’s season in The McGrigor Hall.
It is, in fact, an adaption of a two-act play titled ‘Pyjama Pour Six’ by French playwright Marc Camoletti. After a successful run in Paris, London producer Mark Furness purchased the English-speaking rights and commissioned playwright Robin Hawdon to adapt the play for English-speaking audiences. The English version opened in the West End at The Apollo Theatre in March 1991, starring Simon Cadell and Su Pollard. It was described by The Guardian as, ‘Hurtling along at the speed of light, Marc Camoletti’s breathtaking farce is a near faultless piece of theatrical invention.’ It has since played in theatres all over the USA and was revived in Chicago in 2012. This production was nominated for two Tony Awards.
The clever script has numerous interwoven strands. However, it is the skill of the actors that move the plot along at a good pace. Successful production of a farce depends on the precise physical timing of doors opening and closing, people entering and leaving rooms and, certainly, trousers falling. The cast needs to know their lines seamlessly to make this work. They do not disappoint.
Frinton Summer Theatre’s artistic director, Clive Brill, said: “Don’t Dress for Dinner provides the perfect finale to the Frinton Summer Theatre season at The McGrigor Hall. Long-time fans of Frinton Summer Theatre will remember the hilarious success of Boeing Boeing, and, for me, Don’t Dress for Dinner goes to another level.
“Marc Camoletti’s writing is superb, and the Frinton Summer Theatre production promises to bring a fresh and frantic interpretation of this comedy classic that will surely win with McGrigor Hall audiences.”
Don't Dress for Dinner
The McGrigor Hall, Frinton Summer Theatre - 15th - 19th August
Tues - Sat 7:30pm | Sat 2:30pm
Frinton Summer Theatre Contributor, Lisa Wakely, Writer. Lisa Wakely is a talented writer and performer from Essex. Her passion for writing and teaching performing arts is matched only by her adventurous spirit, which includes heart-pumping activities like skydiving and wing walking - all for raising money for charity. She's a true force to be reckoned with. Her boundless energy and unwavering determination are nothing short of awe-inspiring.
What's on next, you say?
Frinton’s Greensward will welcome a fabulous production of My Fair Lady inside the
Big Top Tent this summer as the 2023 season of the Frinton Summer Theatre continues.
Frinton Summer Theatre will once again bring a touch of West End glitz to the east coast when this year’s production of My Fair Lady comes to the famous Big Top Tent on Frinton’s Greensward, 65 years after the show first opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
22nd August - 3rd September Tickets are on sale now!
Evening shows start at 7.30pm, with matinee performances at 3pm on Thursday and Saturday. Don't miss their signed performance on Saturday, August 26th at 3pm, exclusively bookable via the Frinton Summer Theatre box office.
Tickets are available at £35 and £40, but they have fantastic discounts! Gather your friends and enjoy a 10% discount for groups of 10 to 29 or a generous 15% discount for groups of 30 or more. They'll also offer accessible seating at £35, with a 10% discount for carers. For our Blue Lights card holders, day tickets are only £25 when purchased on the day of the performance. Students, they've got you covered too! Present your valid student ID on the day of the performance and enjoy a 2-for-1 deal on day tickets.
You can conveniently book online at www.frintonsummertheatre.org or visit the Main Box Office at 60 Connaught Avenue. If you prefer, give them a call at 01255 775727 or send an email to Boxoffice@frintonsummertheatre.org.
Please note that discounts for the tent season are exclusively bookable at the Box Office, so be sure to visit the box office in person or contact Frinton Summer Theatre directly.