Don't Dress for Dinner
Encyclopedia
Don't Dress for Dinner is a two-act play
by French
playwright
Marc Camoletti
. It's a sequel to Camoletti's other play Boeing Boeing
. The play ran in Paris for a little more than two years under the name Pyjamas Pour Six, and also ran in London starring Simon Cadell
and Su Pollard
.
Jacqueline (Bernard's wife and Robert's lover)
Robert (Bernard's friend and Jacqueline's lover)
Suzette (the cook)
Suzanne (Bernard's mistress)
George (Suzette's husband)
While Bernard is upstairs, the telephone rings. Jacqueline answers; it's the Bon Appetit catering agency confirming Suzette is on her way. Then Robert calls and Jacqueline again answers. He tells Jacqueline he is spending the weekend, a fact unknown to her. As Robert and Jacqueline talk on the phone, it becomes obvious that they are having an affair.
Jacqueline tells Bernard her mother has the flu and she has cancelled their visit. Bernard panics, and when Robert arrives, he tells his friend about his affair with Suzanne. Since she is arriving at any minute, Bernard convinces Robert to tell Jacqueline that "Suzy" is his girlfriend.
While Bernard and Jacqueline are out buying groceries, Suzy arrives -- it's the caterer, not the mistress. Robert doesn't realize it and introduces Suzette as his girlfriend when Bernard and Jacqueline return. Bernard is angry because of the mix-up, and Jacqueline feels betrayed because she thought she was Robert's only mistress.
Bernard and Robert secretly talk to Suzette, and for 400 francs she agrees to play Robert's mistress. When Suzanne arrives, alerted to the fact that she's now the cook. She's outraged but Suzanne agrees to play her part. When Jacqueline confronts Robert about Suzette, he tells Jacqueline that Suzette is his niece.
Act 2 begins with Robert and Suzette in the parlor talking and they depart. Jacqueline voices her frustration of Bernard's affair, which she found out about from a note signed 'Suzy' and a receipt for a Chanel coat in Bernard's jacket pocket. The coat was a gift for Bernard's mistress. Since the coat was made out to be Suzette's Jacqueline is sure Bernard's affair is with Suzette.
Suzanne thinks so as well; she and Jacqueline exact revenge on Robert and Suzette by pouring ice on them. Suzanne was satisfied but Jacqueline sprays Bernard with a soda siphon. More hijinks are brought out and confusion about Suzette being Robert's niece is brought to light.
Suzette tells Bernard and Robert that she has a husband, George, who will kill anyone she is seen even suggesting an affair. Jacqueline comes downstairs in a negligee and tells Bernard about her affair. Bernard is mad and threatens to kill the adulterer. Jacqueline discloses Robert's name and all is set for hell when George, Suzette's husband, walks in. George is told to believe Suzette is at another house and that Suzanne is his wife, until Suzette comes out to greet him. After questioning George is to believe the evening was a game called "Happy Families" and they depart.
After Bernard and Jacqueline go to bed. Suzanne visits Robert's bedroom, claims they should share it and that he deserves a reward for buying her a new Chanel coat {because Suzette took the old one}.
The play was famously featured as the basis for a hidden camera prank on Lionel Blair
on the television series Noel's House Party
.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Marc Camoletti
Marc Camoletti (French playwright)
Marc Camoletti was a French playwright best known for his classic farce Boeing-Boeing.Camoletti was born a French citizen in Geneva, Switzerland, though his family had Italian origins...
. It's a sequel to Camoletti's other play Boeing Boeing
Boeing Boeing (play)
Boeing-Boeing is a classic farce written by French playwright Marc Camoletti. The English language adaptation, translated by Beverley Cross, was first staged in London at the Apollo Theatre in 1962 and transferred to the Duchess Theatre in 1965, running for a total of seven years...
. The play ran in Paris for a little more than two years under the name Pyjamas Pour Six, and also ran in London starring Simon Cadell
Simon Cadell
Simon John Cadell was an English actor.Born in London, he was the grandson of the Scottish character actor Jean Cadell, the brother of the actress Selina Cadell, and the cousin of the actor Guy Siner. He was educated at Bedales School at Petersfield where his close friends included Gyles...
and Su Pollard
Su Pollard
Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard, 7 November 1949, Nottingham) is an English comedy actress, most famous for her roles in the sitcoms Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?. She is also well known for her unusual and flamboyant dress sense and her abrupt voice....
.
Characters
Bernard (Jacqueline's husband)Jacqueline (Bernard's wife and Robert's lover)
Robert (Bernard's friend and Jacqueline's lover)
Suzette (the cook)
Suzanne (Bernard's mistress)
George (Suzette's husband)
Synopsis
In a renovated French farmhouse about a two-hour drive from Paris, Bernard is hoping to pack his wife, Jacqueline, away to her mother's for the weekend, in hopes he can romance his mistress, Suzanne, a Parisian model and actress. As an alibi, Bernard has hired a Cordon Bleu-level cook, Suzette, and invited his friend Robert to dinner.While Bernard is upstairs, the telephone rings. Jacqueline answers; it's the Bon Appetit catering agency confirming Suzette is on her way. Then Robert calls and Jacqueline again answers. He tells Jacqueline he is spending the weekend, a fact unknown to her. As Robert and Jacqueline talk on the phone, it becomes obvious that they are having an affair.
Jacqueline tells Bernard her mother has the flu and she has cancelled their visit. Bernard panics, and when Robert arrives, he tells his friend about his affair with Suzanne. Since she is arriving at any minute, Bernard convinces Robert to tell Jacqueline that "Suzy" is his girlfriend.
While Bernard and Jacqueline are out buying groceries, Suzy arrives -- it's the caterer, not the mistress. Robert doesn't realize it and introduces Suzette as his girlfriend when Bernard and Jacqueline return. Bernard is angry because of the mix-up, and Jacqueline feels betrayed because she thought she was Robert's only mistress.
Bernard and Robert secretly talk to Suzette, and for 400 francs she agrees to play Robert's mistress. When Suzanne arrives, alerted to the fact that she's now the cook. She's outraged but Suzanne agrees to play her part. When Jacqueline confronts Robert about Suzette, he tells Jacqueline that Suzette is his niece.
Act 2 begins with Robert and Suzette in the parlor talking and they depart. Jacqueline voices her frustration of Bernard's affair, which she found out about from a note signed 'Suzy' and a receipt for a Chanel coat in Bernard's jacket pocket. The coat was a gift for Bernard's mistress. Since the coat was made out to be Suzette's Jacqueline is sure Bernard's affair is with Suzette.
Suzanne thinks so as well; she and Jacqueline exact revenge on Robert and Suzette by pouring ice on them. Suzanne was satisfied but Jacqueline sprays Bernard with a soda siphon. More hijinks are brought out and confusion about Suzette being Robert's niece is brought to light.
Suzette tells Bernard and Robert that she has a husband, George, who will kill anyone she is seen even suggesting an affair. Jacqueline comes downstairs in a negligee and tells Bernard about her affair. Bernard is mad and threatens to kill the adulterer. Jacqueline discloses Robert's name and all is set for hell when George, Suzette's husband, walks in. George is told to believe Suzette is at another house and that Suzanne is his wife, until Suzette comes out to greet him. After questioning George is to believe the evening was a game called "Happy Families" and they depart.
After Bernard and Jacqueline go to bed. Suzanne visits Robert's bedroom, claims they should share it and that he deserves a reward for buying her a new Chanel coat {because Suzette took the old one}.
The play was famously featured as the basis for a hidden camera prank on Lionel Blair
Lionel Blair
Lionel Blair is a British actor, choreographer, tap dancer and television presenter. He is the son of Myer Ogus and Deborah Greenbaum...
on the television series Noel's House Party
Noel's House Party
Noel's House Party was a BBC television light entertainment show hosted by Noel Edmonds that was broadcast live on Saturday evenings throughout the 1990s. It was set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo. The show was broadcast during the...
.