Don't Dress For Dinner Show Poster

Don't Dress For Dinner Critics’ Reviews

Bernard’s plans for a romantic rendezvous with his mistress are complete with a gourmet caterer and an alibi courtesy of his friend, Robert. But when Bernard’s wife learns that Robert will be visiting for the weekend, she decides to stay in town for a surprise tryst of her own… setting the stage for a collision course of assumed identities and outrageous infidelities. The cook is Suzette, the lover is Suzanne, the friend is bewildered, the wife is suspicious, the husband is losing his mind and everyone is guaranteed a good time at this hilarious romp through the French countryside.

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About Don't Dress For Dinner

What Is the Story of Don’t Dress for Dinner?
Don’t Dress For Dinner centers around Bernard and Jacqueline, a not-so-happily married couple, both of whom are having extramarital affairs. As Jacqueline prepares to go out of town to visit her mother, Bernard invites his mistress and Robert, his best friend (and also Jacqueline’s lover, unbeknownst to Bernard), over for the weekend. He’s even hired a Cordon Bleu chef to cater the evening. Jacqueline discovers Robert is coming to town and cancels her trip, causing Bernard to panic. When Robert arrives, Bernard asks him to pretend Suzanne is Robert’s mistress. Robert mistakes the chef (Suzette), for Bernard’s mistress (Suzanne), producing a highly complicated dinner of hilarious hijinks, secret trysts and slapstick comedy.

Reviews

critics reviews Critics’ Reviews (5)
A collection of our favorite reviews from professional news sources.
Entertainment Weekly

"[Kayden] takes on a series of ever-more-outrageous personas depending on who is in the room. ''I should get an Oscar for this,' she says at one point. (Perhaps she'll settle for a Tony nomination.)"

Entertainment Weekly

Thom Geier

"Dinner is more sit-commy in its plotting, without any aspirations other than goofy comedy and sexual leering, but it still provides a healthy bunch of laughs in the process."

The Village Voice

Michael Musto

Associated Press

"William Ivey Long delivers with sumptuous costumes: bespoke striped suits, tuxes, a fur coat, French maid outfits, dinner gowns, and, yes, dressing gowns that reek of wealth and high thread counts."

Associated Press

Mark Kennedy

The Hollywood Reporter

"Making the most of her rich opportunities, the gifted Kayden is a sober Plain Jane one minute and a rubber-limbed, Cointreau-soaked vamp the next, joining [Ben Daniels] in a killer tango."

The Hollywood Reporter

David Rooney

The New York Times

"Ms. Kayden is very funny in her sniffing acceptance of the absurd behavior of her employers."

The New York Times

Charles Isherwood

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