The great writer Carl Sandburg was famous for saying that
Sheridan Whiteside (Allan Edwards) needs does not need to put in any effort to be interesting, he is the confidant of the known and unknown, well read, well-traveled, and a world renown investigator and storyteller. His voice has been heard by countless of fans as he shares his insight on the radio air waves.
However you quickly learn in The Man Who Came to Dinner, that even the most interesting man may have a shelf life. Because of an unfortunate accident during his dinner party, Whiteside is forced to stay indefinitely at his host’s home.
This is when everything turns, the affable Whiteside lets out his true curmudgeon self as his brings along his faithful assistant Maggie Cutler (Wendy Melkonian) to aid in transforming the modest Stanley home into his daily tumultuous circus self-centered world.
Photo of Cast from GET
With a large cast of 23 actors, The Man Who Came to Dinner is ebb and flow of wacky and wild characters who add to the mix as Whiteside yearns to stay the master of his own universe.
Bravo to Allan Edwards as he maintains a believable arrogant, intolerable character with a slight side of human vulnerability during the two act play.
This show also marks the first for me in that it takes you on the road to Christmas, as part of the play is set on Christmas Eve and Day. It was my first Christmas tree sighting.
This show is also a nostalgic peek past to the first production of GET twenty years ago which showcase The Man Who Came to Dinner as their inaugural production. With 96 plays, 27 musicals, 123 productions under their belt, I hope that the theatre family at GET continues to bring joy and wonder on the stage.
Enjoy the celebration and don’t miss out on a funny show full of misfit irony, The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Georgia Ensemble Theatre in historic Roswell which runs through September 23.
For details visit: www.GET.org or call the box office (770)641-1260.
Follow Dr. Wilson Triviño on Twitter @T4Vista
