Kurt Magoon and Ruth Arnell star in "Don't Dress for Dinner," now playing at the Waukesha Civic Theatre.

Marc Camoletti's updated version of a 233-year-old French farce is still very relevant and very funny. Human nature doesn't change? Apparently not. Waukesha Civic Theatre's production of "Don't Dress for Dinner" gets more hilarious by the minute as deceptions and mistaken identities pile up to the point of absolute absurdity. Throw in many spills and a few pratfalls, and we have the makings for some hearty laughter, which is what filled the theater on Main Street in Waukesha this past weekend.

Farce is not my favorite form of theater, but when it's well done and one gets into the spirit of it, it can be quite entertaining. And since laughter is good for our health, I recommend that you see this show.

The play opens with Bernard wishing his wife, Jacqueline, an enjoyable weekend visiting her mother as he makes plans for a quite different brand of enjoyment of his own. His mistress, Suzanne, along with his friend and best man, Robert, who will act as his cover, are joining him for a catered dinner. Robert does not know of Suzanne but thinks he is just catching up with his old friend Bernard. When Jacqueline learns by accident that Robert is coming, she pretends illness as an excuse for changing her plans to visit her mother because she'd rather be with Robert, with whom she is having an affair. Things get complicated quite quickly.

This triple deception would be bad enough but the catered cook, Suzette, unwittingly gets sucked into the morass as well. She is asked to pose as Robert's mistress, his niece, an actor and whatever other role is needed, but is willing to do so for a price. Suzette makes out the best of everyone.

Beyond the humor of the games and the humiliation of the exposes, the character of Suzette draws the most laughs. Chelsey Peterson with her gum-smacking manner as she sashays around with her seamed stockings and cowboy boots or her adjusted costume as the femme fatale, is center stage for the rest of the show. She is, in a word, terrific.

Kurt Magoon also amazes us with his tongue-twisting explanations of how this convoluted mess began. He definitely gains stature as the story progresses. Mark Neufang is convincing as the bumbling cheater that he is, and Donna Daniels as the outraged mistress and wife is actually much smoother a liar than her husband. Ruth Arnell as Bernard's mistress seems to have quite a bit of experience with infidelity and is pretty nonchalant about the whole mess except when she is expected to play cook. She knows exactly how to get what she wants from whoever is willing to dole it out.

The last character, played by Scott Fudali, makes a grand entrance near the end of the play. He definitely makes his cameo role memorable as Suzette's husband, a man to be reckoned with.

Set design was chic (Mark Schuster), costumes revealing of character (Sharon Sohner) and pacing in keeping with the spirit of the piece, again Director Mark Schuster. The show runs through March 29. Call (262) 547-0708 for times and tickets.