Maybe it isn’t always true, but it seems to be – when you watch a French farce (like “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” currently being presented at Weathervane Playhouse, a Knight Arts grantee), you can pretty much expect lots of sexual innuendo, and invariably in the form of marital infidelity. And, you can also predict it’ll be all done in fun.

That’s the case in this tale of mistaken identities and over-the-top lustiness written by French playwright Marc Camoletti and translated/adapted by Englishman Robin Hawdon – who kept the French countryside setting, but with English accents. It doesn’t seem like that should work for an American audience, but it does, if the cast is quick and good.

Cast, “Don’t Dress for Dinner.” Photo courtesy of Weathervane Playhouse

Weathervane Playhouse’s cast is spot on, as the British might say. They throw themselves into the narrative about Bernard (Richard Worswick) arranging to have his wife Jacqueline (Bernadette Hisey) out of the way one weekend so he can entertain his mistress Suzanne (Dede Klein). To get away with it he also invites his old friend Robert (Scott K. Davis) as the perfect alibi – all without realizing that Robert and Jacqueline are having their own affair.

That might be enough in some playwright’s hands to keep the merry mayhem going, but Camoletti adds on another twist. Since it is mistress Suzanne’s birthday weekend, Bernard hires a gourmet chef, Suzette (Ashley Bossard) – who is affectionately also known as Suzanne is, as Suzy. Complications – and the raucous fun – begin when Jacqueline refuses to leave because she hears that Robert is coming. The cook shows up first, which makes Bernard lie and say she is Robert’s mistress, causing Jacqueline to lose it.

The lies pile up and pile up so that pretty much no one has any idea of the truth. The characters even start confusing themselves as they force themselves to believe every word they say – as they say it.

Things get resolved after the cook’s husband, George (Mitch Manthey), shows up looking for his wife – who is still being confused with the mistress. In order to get safely out of all this emotionally, the play ends on still another twist of the truth. No need to say what it is here and spoil the play. Go see it and find out.

The main characters (the two couples [portrayed by Worswick, Klein, Davis and Hisey) are depicted by some gifted, strong, and a couple of familiar actors for Weathervane Playhouse. A farce like this could fall apart if the actors aren’t rapid-fire and continuously energetic. This play calls for frenzy, and the actors deliver.

Clear credit goes to the more minor characters played by Bossard as Suzette and Manthey as George. Bossard seems indefatigable in her role, playing the part to its limits and mining the laughter. Manthey doesn’t appear until the final scenes of the play, but comes on strong and confident, adding a freshness to the playwright’s narrative burden of finding an end to the comedy.

Scott K. Davis and Ashley Bossard in “Don’t Dress for Dinner.” Photo courtesy of Weathervane Playhouse

“Don’t Dress for Dinner” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 8 p.m. on Friday-Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday through May 18 on the main stage at Weathervane Playhouse, 1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron; 330-836-2626; www.weathervaneplayhouse.com. Tickets are $21 ($19 for seniors on Thursday and Sunday).