Theater review: Dilemmas with Dinner at Cox Building Playhouse in Plano

by Christopher Soden of Christopher Soden, Dallas GLBT Arts Examiner

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Dilemmas with Dinner is an enjoyable show -- it has quality, choreography and finesse.

It took me awhile to get my head around Dilemmas with Dinner, the comedy by Robin Roberts, currently being presented by Rover Dramawerks (playing at the Cox Building Playhouse in Plano through August 7). The premise was sound. Stressed hostess vying for promotion throws dinner party to impress boss. Her desperation motivates unfortunate choices, resulting in havoc and subsequently, prime opportunities for hilarity. We’ve all been there. One mishap foments another like a Rube Goldberg mechanism from hell (nudging a mouse to chew through a string that releases an iron that falls on a seesaw) until catastrophe erupts, and all pretense of civilization crumbles. As I have come to expect from Rover, the quality of acting and cogency of text were energetic and personable, the production conscientious and thorough. Above all else, the show is funny, and certainly entertaining. Yet something about the tacit logic was eluding me.

Back in the day, Murphy’s Law (“If something can go wrong it will”) was bandied about as explanation for why so often trouble and adversity seem to torment us. You could also describe it as The Golden Rule of Comedy. Nothing seems to tickle the funny bone quite so much as witnessing ill fortune (grand or sleight) that has no consequences for us. Perhaps the humor in these situations is sparked by relief, empathy, or some of both.

The hero of Dilemmas with Dinner, Brooke, has patiently awaited her opportunity to rise in the ranks of a firm where she has diligently toiled, and the owner and CEO, still refers to his female employees as “my girls.” A prestigious position has opened and Brooke has invited the boss and his wife to supper, seizing this last chance to impress him before he makes his decision. Knowing Dilemmas with Dinner is a comedy, it doesn’t take a psychic to predict that, while Brooke has planned this small soirée down to the tiniest detail, it is fraught with peril.

The first bleak omen is the arrival of Donny, Brooke’s husband, whose back is so badly injured, he appears to be searching for something he’s dropped. Beauen Bogner is fairly adept at making Donny’s pain seem genuine and comical. Something about his tone suggests Job by way of the Catskills. And of course, how much of shtick is predicated on forbearance and the inevitability of human suffering? Max, the sweet, teenaged, incurable klutz has followed Donny home, where he begs to be rehired, after numerous incidents of being sacked. Donny’s accident resulted from Max’s clumsiness, and he refuses to revoke his decision. This theme of torment coming from fellow human beings, who are simply acting out their unconscious agendas, is echoed by nearly (if not) all of the characters.

Which brings me to my quandary. There’s something about Brooke’s behavior that seems to surpass self-destructiveness, and after a number of bizarre decisions on her part, I couldn’t help asking myself why. Understanding she’s motivated by a desperate (and understandable) need to get recognition and validation for her perseverance, it still seemed odd that seeing her husband’s condition, she wouldn’t send him off to bed, if she felt she couldn’t cancel. Then, after seeing several demonstrations of poor Max’s ineptitude, she actually enlists him to serve the meal. This is like building a kindergarten on a fault line. Yes, there are circumstances leading up to this, and yes, this insanity almost guarantees a comedic outcome. Dilemmas with Dinner is an enjoyable show -- it has quality, choreography and finesse. I fully acknowledge the inexplicable plot aspects may be more troubling to me than most. It is my curse to be obsessed with subtext.

I suspect that, given other details of the narrative, we might see the handwriting on the wall before poor Brooke does. Given this, maybe she, on a subconscious level, realizes how truly miserable she is, working for a troglodyte like her boss. Thus her actions seem ill-considered and self-sabotaging. I know this sort of analysis must be unbearably absorbing and wildly stimulating, so I’ll desist soon. The glue that holds Dilemmas with Dinner together (for me) is that, Brooke’s predicament is “solved” by an unspoken grasp of what she wants her life to be about. Her husband Donny is far happier owning a bookstore (despite the pitfalls) than he ever was slogging away for corporate America. On some level it may just be that she wants to be a part of that tranquility.

Dilemmas with Dinner boasts an inventive, gifted, and kinetic cast. Especially enjoyable were Cyndee Rivera as the poised and passionate caterer, Caren; Cassie Walters as the frayed and frazzled hostess, Brooke; Clint Prentice as the lovable schnook, Max; Mary Tiner as the absent-minded wife of Brooke’s boss, Louise; and Beauen Bogner as the long-suffering Donny.

A version of this review appeared previously on Examiner.com.

Christopher Soden is a theater critic who also writes for content partner The Column.

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