←Recommendations of DINNER

People in horror stories would probably fare better if they knew they were in horror stories. They go recklessly down into cellars or whatnot unaware of the doom that awaits them. But we know what kind of show we bought tickets to, and nothing builds tension like watching a character march blindly toward an axe to the face. Paul Smith plays on this beautifully. Jonnie starts with his hands tied behind his back, unaware that how he answers his captors' questions will either mean freedom or the grisly fate we, the audience, strongly suspect is upon him. Deliciously creepy stuff!

Like something out of an old Tales From the Crypt comic book, this is one twisted AF play from Paul Smith that would work oh so well on the stage. And a bonus for older actors with roles they could sink their teeth into, literally. The wonderful part of Paul's writing is that, although I saw where it was going (I'm twisted like that), the script throws in juuuuussst enough seeds of doubt in there to the point that I thought Ernest and Hilda just might connect with Jonnie on more than a gut level (see what I did there?)

OMG! Mrs. Lovett, eat your heart out! Hilda and Ernest are such a sweet couple. Tending to an intruder’s injuries. Preparing a lovely dinner. Yeah, about that dinner. Paul Smith mixes the politeness of the couple with a dash of tension. The perfect recipe!

Whoa! I didn't see that coming! It's obvious crime doesn't pay in this witty, fast-paced dinner party with a spooky twist.

Oooh this is a dark tale where MISERY meets SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, all in the quaint setting of Ernest and Hilda's dinning room. This elderly couple are polite, caring and at the same time sinister, for the tension builds and builds, but you can't help to see a happy ending coming for all....
But the twist....!!
Wonderful!

Talk about a shocker! Everything is turned up on its head in this darkly funny tale of a burglary gone wrong. The tension in the room is immediately tight right from the start it and only increases to a breaking point as Hilda and Ernest prepare their lovely dinner for the uninvited guest!

This cleverly conceived short play starts in the best comic tradition with a quaint and dotty elderly couple dealing in a rather compassionate way with their homeless housebreaker. Their repartee is measured, assured, charming, but their motives well, that's the dark and devilish twist. Great fun.

The sense of unease right from the start of DINNER never goes away, even as the sweet old couple seems so kind to Jonnie. The slow reveal of true intentions all around is masterful in this piece by Paul Smith. A feast for any reader or viewer!

PAUL SMITH takes us to a “Dinner” with an elderly couple and their uninvited guest. The older characters are charming and seem eager to make theIr unexpected visitor a fine meal. The young man has had more than his share of troubles, but alas, perhaps his luck has changed. The older married couple seem more than willing to help the rehabilitation of this downtrodden young man starting with a fine meal.

Love the full flavor of the macabre? Smith serves up the unexpected in DINNER, a tightly structured short play with a delicious ending. A fabulous play with juicy roles for mature actors, DINNER would be a fine choice for any short play festival!