Special to the Tribune-Star
BLOOMFIELD —
Sheridan Whiteside, theatre critic, lecturer and radio personality, agrees to dine at the home of the prominent Stanley family in a small town in Ohio.
Before he makes it inside, Whiteside slips on a patch of ice on the doorstep and injures his hip.
Six weeks of confinement follow as he recuperates, during which Whiteside monopolizes the living room, meddles in the lives of each family member and takes over the Stanley household. Before it’s over, the outrageous has become commonplace, and everyone is ready for Sheridan Whiteside to bid adieu to Ohio.
This zany, frenetic comedy by one of theatre’s most famous writing teams was carefully chosen by the Shawnee Summer Theatre. “We chose ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ for a few reasons. We wanted to end our season with a comedy, and Kaufmann and Hart’s classic was a great choice for us. The lead role is also a great part for Joshua Carroll, a longtime company member who we’ve wanted to feature for some time, and we thought the style of the play would be very exciting for our audience,” said director Jake Miller.
Kaufmann made a name for himself penning many of the famous Marx Brothers movies, and “The Man Who Came to Dinner” is very similar in style.
In fact, Harpo Marx played the role of Banjo in the original West Coast production.
The West Coast production also featured 36 actors and radio personality Alexander Woollcott, whom the play’s main character was based upon.
“As far as the cast size goes, we typically have to stay away from scripts that call for so many characters because of the limited size of our summer company. However, with this show, we’re embracing the challenge and having the 36 characters portrayed by our company of 10 actors. It only makes the show more fun and adds a great spark to our final show of the season,” said Miller.
Indiana’s oldest professional summer theatre will open the sixth production of the 51st season at 8 p.m. July 31. The production will run through Aug. 1. Written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and directed by Jake Allen Miller, “The Man Who Came To Dinner” is sure to be a hit with audiences.
The combined talents of Josh Carroll (Sheridan Whiteside), Marta Stai (Maggie Cutler), Rachel Mock (Mrs. Stanley/Expressman), Lisa Ermel (Sarah/June/
Baker/Deputy), Kaylay Straub (Mrs. McCutcheon/Guest/
Lorraine Sheldon), Sarah White (Miss Preen/Harriet Stanley), Harry Watermeier (John/Richard/Guest/Radio Tech/Beverley), Brandon Cox (Mr. Stanley/Metz/Westcott), Jon Becraft (Mrs. Dexter/
Guest/Sandy/Banjo/Deputy) and Kevin Lee Guthridge (Dr. Bradley/Bert Jefferson/Radio Tech) are sure to keep audiences in stitches the entire time.
Performances at Shawnee will continue each Thursday through Saturday throughout the summer.
Tickets are $14 for adults or $7 for children. Buy a six-show flex pass for only $65. Call (812) 384-3559 for tickets.
Ticket office hours are Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a break for lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m., Saturday noon to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance.
Find Shawnee online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and at www.shawneetheatre.org or e-mail the Shawnee Theatre at shawneetheatre@
hotmail.com.
The Shawnee Theatre, Indiana’s oldest continuously running summer theatre, is a mile south of downtown Bloomfield at 616 E. Furnace Road.
