"The characters are easily duped, so the audience is a step ahead of them. The situations they create or are embroiled in are absurd, and it's absurd they don't notice the absurdity. That's the comedy of it," she said.
The plot is absurd too: Bernard has discovered his wife, Jacqueline, is having an affair and puts two options to her lover, Robert. Either Bernard will have Robert killed or he will sleep with Robert's wife, Juliette - which Robert chooses.
Bernard invites them to dinner, much to the frustration of their obstreperous maid, and Jacqueline's discomfort when she discovers who their guests are - supposedly. However, instead of bringing his wife, Robert brings a call girl, Barbara, to the dinner. The situation becomes even more confusing when Juliette, who has heard a telephone message, turns up too!
Rees, who is from Auckland, is relishing working at the Fortune with its resident support teams, including wardrobe, design, set and marketing staff. Since the Auckland theatre's Mercury and Theatre Corporate were closed in the 1980s, theatre practitioners there have not had the luxury of working at a permanent venue with resident staff.
"It feels like you have to reinvent the wheel over and over again. The experience here is so relaxing from that point of view," she said.
• See it
The New Zealand premiere of Ding Dong by Marc Camoletti, translated by Tudor Gates, opens at the Fortune Theatre tomorrow. It is directed by Amanda Rees, and features Clare Adams, Sophia Elisabeth, John Glass, Anna Henare, Elizabeth McGlinn and Tim Raby.
![Poipoia te Kākano [installation view]. Allison Beck, Megan Brady, Kate Stevens West, Jess...](https://www.odt.co.nz/sites/default/files/styles/odt_landscape_small_related_stories/public/story/2025/02/1_poipoia_te_k_kano.jpg?itok=ssJ8nxyx)
