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DINNER FOR ONE: I HAVE RESERVATIONS

Greater Boston Stage Company, Stoneham, MA. ** out of 5. A typical New Year’s Eve in Europe doesn’t feature Ryan Seacrest, Anderson Cooper or even Guy Lombardo. Our friends in Denmark, Germany, Norway like to sit down to “Dinner for One,” an 11-minute black-and-white TV sketch from 1962 in which a dotty dowager, Miss Sophie, is served a birthday dinner with four of her (evidently) one-time amours…. except none of them are present, so her faithful aged retainer James must impersonate them all. And when he imbibes each gent’s quota of sherry, wine, and port, well, hijinks ensue. I confess I cannot comprehend the affection for the thing, with its obvious pratfalls and bland catchphrases (“The same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?” “The same procedure as every year, James”). But as interminable as I find the original, the 70-minute stage version in Stoneham, penned by Christina Baldwin, Sun Mee Chomet and Jim Lichtscheidl and directed at a snail’s pace by Weylin Simes, is even more so. Debra Wise is a flirty, fetching presence as Miss Sophie, and the usually reliable Paul Melendy works hard and comes up with a funny portrayal of guest #3, “Mr. Pomeroy,” as a mumbly Jerry Lewis. But I, and the married couple to my left, otherwise sat stone-faced. In fairness I should point out that many in the opening night audience were quite taken with the thing, so add a star if you enjoyed Benny Hill or Fawlty Towers back in the day. Or if you’re Scandinavian. (Runs through Nov. 17 at 395 Main St., Stoneham. www.greaterbostonstage.org. Cast photo by Nile Scott Studios.)

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