Dinner, Farce, and Reflection: Not Now, Darling at Olde Town Dinner Theatre
Olde Towne Dinner Theatre, Worthing, South Dakota, March 14, 2026
Setting the Stage
The third show of the 2025–2026 season at Olde Town Dinner Theatre brought audiences the British farce Not Now, Darling, a fast-paced comedy written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman. Known for its rapid dialogue and escalating misunderstandings, the play centers around two London fur salon owners, Bodley and Crouch, and a scheme that quickly spirals out of control.
Bodley, played by Jon Hardcastle, is the driving force behind the chaos. Attempting to purchase a mink coat for his mistress while avoiding the suspicion of her husband, Bodley drags his business partner Crouch, portrayed by John J. Boe, into an increasingly tangled web of lies. What begins as a simple act of infidelity soon evolves into a cascade of misunderstandings, hidden identities, and romantic entanglements that push the farce to its limits.
But before the show began, the evening started the way it always does at Olde Town Dinner Theatre. With dinner.
Dinner Before the Drama
As a true dinner theatre experience, each production features a new menu to accompany the performance. For Not Now, Darling, guests were offered a choice of three entrées: an eight-ounce steak topped with raspberry sauce, a ranch-crusted chicken, or a crab-stuffed flounder.
As a volunteer for the theatre, I had the opportunity to enjoy the meal once the audience had been served. Curiosity led me to the crab-stuffed flounder and it proved to be a strong choice. The flounder was tender and well prepared, with the crab filling delivering a burst of flavor that paired well with the accompanying sweet potato hash and vegetable medley.
However, the real standout of the meal may have been the roasted red pepper gouda soup. Rich and hearty, it resembled a more robust tomato soup layered with creamy cheese flavors. It was easily one of the most memorable dishes of the evening.
Dinner concluded with a chocolate cream pie served during intermission that was light, smooth, and finished with a satisfying crunch from the crust, providing a welcome boost of energy before the second act.
A Farce in Full Swing
When the performance began, I had little idea what to expect. I make it a point not to research the shows beforehand when volunteering, allowing the story to unfold without preconceived expectations.
Not Now, Darling wastes no time establishing its chaotic tone. Bodley’s attempt to secretly purchase the mink coat quickly snowballs into an increasingly complicated web of romantic deception. By the end of the first act, what began as a simple affair has ballooned into what could only be described as a full-blown romantic pentagon.
The comedy thrives on timing and precision, and the cast delivered both. British humor, rapid-fire dialogue, and a steady stream of escalating misunderstandings kept the audience engaged as characters rushed in and out of doors in classic farce fashion.
One of the most entertaining arcs came from Crouch. Initially presented as timid and reluctant, the character gradually develops a newfound confidence as the story unfolds. Watching that transformation provided one of the evening’s most satisfying narrative threads, culminating in a strange but fitting resolution for the character.
Comedy With a Complication
There’s no denying that Not Now, Darling is a technically well-executed comedy. The production featured strong performances, clever callbacks to earlier scenes, and twists that caught even attentive viewers off guard.
Yet the play’s central premise left me conflicted.
At its core, the story revolves around infidelity played entirely for laughs. While the farce format exaggerates these situations for comedic effect, the humor consistently leans on adultery as its primary engine. For some audience members, that premise may simply be part of the theatrical tradition of British farce. For me, it created a barrier that made it difficult to fully embrace the show.
Entertainment can still provoke reflection, and in this case the experience served as a reminder that even well-produced comedy can carry themes that resonate differently depending on personal values.
Afterglow
As the night wrapped up, tables cleared, dishes washed, and the theatre settling back into quiet, the focus now turns toward the final production of the season.
Olde Town Dinner Theatre will close out its 2025–2026 lineup with Murdered to Death, opening in May. After an evening filled with madness, comedy, and culinary highlights, it’s a finale I’m already looking forward to seeing unfold when I inevitably sign up to volunteer once again.
