[1][2] The play was described as being "near the hit line", "one big overfed American folk joke" and "a very funny situation comedy" by critic Otis L.
Almost immediately the embassy is thrust into a crisis as the Hollanders, an American family of tourists, come rushing in on the run from the Communist police.
Walter Hollander, the father, had accidentally sneaked into a high security area and taken pictures, causing the communists to believe that the family are spies.
Axel and Susan come up with a plan to escape by using a party in the Sultan's honor as a cover while Father Drobney, a priest who has been hiding in a small room in the embassy for six years, works out the details.
During the party Walter and Marion go through several problems, mainly due to a number of revelations or near-revelations of their own secret identities.
The escape appears to have failed till Axel discovers that the Sultan and his wife are still in the house, severely hungover from the night before.
In 1994, Allen directed and played the lead in a TV version also titled Don't Drink the Water featuring Michael J.