When Neil Simon’s play “The Dinner Party” opened on Broadway nearly seven years ago, some drama critics were baffled when the witty banter onstage gave way to deep emotion and powerful erotic longing.

“I wanted to break the concept that farces can never get real, even for a minute,” Simon told the New York Times.

“The Dinner Party,” opening Friday at Dreamweavers Theatre in Napa, begins as a comic conundrum: Who invited three men and two women to dine in private at a fine Paris restaurant? The only connection among the men is the lawyer who handled their divorces; and, awkwardly, two of them were formerly married to the female guests.

This set-up gives Simon plenty of room for the sharp-elbowed repartee that made his reputation: “You were never this materialistic when we were married,” snipes one ex, whose former spouse snaps back “Of course not, I still had all my material.”

But when the sixth divorced guest arrives, “the play morphs into a cross between a locked-door mystery and a group therapy session,” says Dreamweavers director Louise Anderson.

Gabrielle, the blonde seductress who locks the door, is played by Taylor Bartolucci (last seen at Dreamweavers as the female lead in last season’s “Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar and Grill,” also directed by Anderson).

Her chief prey, ex-husband Andre, is played by the versatile Bob Dougherty, unrecognizable as the codger he portrayed in Simon’s “Broadway Bound” at Dreamweavers last year.

Patte Quinn and Don Laughridge play Yvonne and Albert, who married and divorced not once, but twice. Rounding out the strong local cast, Gail Silverman and Arthur Goulart are Mariette and Claude, whose marriage withered as her writing career bloomed.

Simon explores both the dark and tender sides of love as Gabrielle toys with her guests, forcing them to reveal the best and the worst of their marriages before the playwright “throws out a comedic lifesaver,” in Anderson’s words. “It’s a wild ride.”

Dreamweavers no longer charges extra for its opening-night gala, but it’s still a festive affair with hors d’oeuvres and wine. Acacia Vineyards will pour.

Saturday night, as with the first Saturday of every Dreamweavers run, is “Date Night,” with two admitted for the price of one. The popular cash raffle continues during intermission of each show, with one ticketholder splitting the pot with the house.

The theater is at 1637 Imola Ave., to the rear of the Riverpark Shopping Center. For tickets and information, call 255-LIVE (255-5483) or visit www.dreamweaverstheatre.org.

‘The Dinner Party’

Dreamweavers Theatre

May 4 - 20

Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.,

Sundays, 2 p.m.

May 4: Gala opening

May 5: Two for one admission

Tickets: $18-$20

Box office: 255-LIVE (5483)