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Fairfield Area Community Theatre to perform ‘The Dinner Party’
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FAIRFIELD – Fairfield Area Community Theatre will put on its winter play six times over two weekends in November.
The performing group is doing Neil Simon’s Boadway Play “The Dinner Party” at The Walton Club. The performances will start with dessert at 7 p.m. Nov. 8-9 before the 7:30 p.m. curtain. The Sunday, Nov. 10 show is a matinee, with dessert at 2 p.m. and curtain at 2:30 p.m. The following weekend of Nov. 15-17 follows the identical schedule of 7 p.m. start times Friday and Saturday and then 2 p.m. that Sunday.
The play is being directed by FACT veteran Diana Flynn.
“Neil Simon is a famous author, and we always like to do comedies,” she said. “I read the play and really liked it. Plus, it has a small cast, which we like for our winter show.”
Flynn explained that the plot of “The Dinner Party” is that six people receive invitations to a dinner. The first people to arrive are three men, who don’t know each other. They discover that the thing they have in common is that the host handled all their divorces. Then, each of their ex-wives arrives for the dinner. The action takes place in a restaurant in Paris, France, and the former home of Napoleon’s second wife Josephine.
The actors and their character names are: Ken Malloy playing Andre Bouville, Fred Hucke as Albert Donay, Tommy Brower as Claude Pichon, Celeste Siemsen as Gabrielle Buonocelli, Gretchen Jentz as Yvonne Fouchet, and Amber Burroughs as Mariette Levieux.
“It’s funny, poignant and in some ways dark,” Flynn said. “There are a few scenes that are uncomfortable, but that’s why we go to the theater. Overall, it’s a comedy and there will be a lot of laughs.”
Flynn said the comedy and drama of the play revolve around the fact that it turns out one of the wives has organized this dinner party to see if any of the couples want to get back together. She said her cast has been rehearsing at the former Hawthorne building across from Flamingo Lanes, and then last week was able to begin rehearsing at The Walton Club.
“It’s hard to visualize if you don’t have a set, but my actors have done so well,” Flynn said. “These are all experienced actors.”
Flynn said the play delves into adult themes such as divorce and why couples get divorced, and recommended that it’s intended for older teenagers and above.
Tickets are $20 and that includes dessert and a drink. Tickets are available at Adela’s or at the door. Cash or check only.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
