The Dingdong: Or, Take Me, I'm Yours
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Volume Level: Comfortable volume level, a bit low/soft
Noises/Visuals to Prepare For: Buzzer, Actors depicted in undergarments
Rover Dramawerks’ production of Mark Shanahan’s The Dingdong, or Take Me I’m Yours doesn’t waste time getting down to business. The play is an adaptation from Le Dindon (directly translated as “The Turkey” or “The Fall Guy”) by French King of Farce Georges Feydeau. Set in the city of the Eiffel Tower, the dialogue clips along, the doors keep swinging, and the passions bubble just below the surface. Director Penny Elaine keeps the pace tight and the temperature rising, marking a wild and wacky ending to Rover’s 2025 season.
At the center of the romantic tangle is Aidan Fenton’s Vatelin, a man wound so tight with propriety that you can almost hear him squeak. Fenton’s manic earnestness suggests a husband desperate to keep his life tidy, even as temptation and misunderstanding threaten to undo him. Opposite him, Dawn Cole’s Lucy Vatelin brings a sharp wit and a dry sense of humor to the role of the neglected wife. But, Cole makes Lucy no victim: she’s a woman who knows what she wants and refuses to settle for less. She takes no crap from no man.
Enter Trevor Powell as Pontegnac, a married man with more libido than sense. Powell’s Pontegnac pursues Lucy with such unrelenting, hormonal gusto that he somehow becomes endearing. His energy keeps the farce fizzing.
Kimberly Hilton nearly steals the show with her chameleon turns as four women. Her soft yet passionate Italian Fabiola, brassy Brooklynite Mandy, and cool, confident Madame Pontegnac showcase a range that’s as impressive as it is entertaining. Each of Hilton’s women is a force in her own right—smart, sensual, and in charge.
Victor Macinkievicz rounds out the ensemble with charm and versatility, moving effortlessly from the passionate Redillon, a suitor who believes romance is a competitive sport, to a wide-eyed bellboy on the cusp of finding true love. Macinkievicz’s comedic timing commands the scene, and is a joy to watch.
Elaine’s direction keeps the stage buzzing with well-timed entrances and near-misses. Her scenic design is simple yet effective, morphing from Paris apartments to hotel rooms with a wink and a twist. And special credit goes to Janette Oswald’s intimacy coordination, which ensures all that physical comedy and romantic pursuit stays spicy but safe. The trust among the cast is palpable—and essential for a play that thrives on the tease.
By the time the feathers settle, the men have strutted and stumbled, the women have had their say, and everyone’s been caught with their desires showing. The Dingdong is a frisky romp: part flirtation, part fiasco, and entirely fun. Rover Dramawerks’ cast keeps the energy high and the laughter rolling, proving that even after a century, Feydeau’s farce still knows how to get a rise out of an audience.
The Dingdong goes until November 22—don’t miss it!
Enjoy the show,
Bradford Reilly
Photos by Carol M. Rice
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