The Man Who Came to Dinner - 4.5 out of 5 stars
The Adelaide Repertory Theatre
TICKETS: https://artstheatresa.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/159415
Every aspiring actor in Adelaide should make the journey to the Arts Theatre to see this show. If you do, you will receive an acting masterclass from some of Adelaide’s finest performers.
It is the late 1930’s and volatile radio personality
Sheridan “Sheri” Whiteside has had a small accident that has left him
temporarily in a wheelchair and stuck at the home of the Stanleys in a tiny
little town in Ohio. Grumpy and irascible, but also charming when needed,
Whiteside sets about causing mayhem both deliberately and inadvertently. His
hapless secretary, Maggie Cutler, has the job of keeping Whiteside’s ego and
schedule in check but things unravel when Cutler finds herself in love and
wanting to leave while her boss is not so keen on this happening…
Under the deft and safe hands of legendary director Sue
Wylie, this mammoth play (a tick over three hours) entertains and enthrals
despite many longueurs in the script written by famed satirists George S
Kaufman and Moss Hart. The cast is also a considerable size- around 22- and
Wylie makes sure that nobody is wasted. The wonderful set by Gary Anderson
works a charm despite issues with the doors on opening night. The costumes,
hair, and makeup are all outstanding and a credit to the production crew and
the company.
Leading the charge of talent as Sheridan Whiteside is
Adelaide theatre raconteur, Peter Goers, essentially playing a classier version
of himself and doing it extremely well. He bounces strongly off the rest of the
cast and yet has an ability to know when he needs to be in the background more.
Given that he is confined to a wheelchair for the bulk of this play makes this
even more incredible.
Jessica Corrie, once again, proves why she is one of the
best young performers on our stages today in the role of Maggie Cutler. Her
performance is highly nuanced and there is not a second on stage when she isn’t
engaged and connected to the story around her. Her comedic timing is pinpoint
and her ability to break hearts is a joy to watch. Her scenes with Goers are some
of the absolute highlights of this show.
Of the more veteran performers, it is an absolute joy to see
Penni Hamilton-Smith and Brenton Whittle as the thorn in the sides to
Whiteside. Hamilton-Smith’s Miss Preen chews up every bit of scenery whenever
she’s on stage (when does she not??) and Whittle more than matches Goers for
character has the hard done by Mr. Stanley.
Juliet Quick as Harriet Stanley has many memorable moments
interacting with Goers and threatens to steal the show from everyone else.
Rebecca Kemp brings the releases her inner fusspot as Mrs. Stanley (working
beautifully alongside Whittle) while Rob Cusenza channels Harpo Marx (and
Groucho and Chico as well) effectively in his turn as producer “Banjo”. Cusenza
manages to turn a prop mishap into two minutes of absolute hilarity while poor
Mr. Goers struggled desperately not to corpse onstage at his antics. Greg
Janzow as Dr. Bradley, Christopher Ridings as John and Linda Lawson as Sarah
also absolutely give their all every time they are onstage.
The younger cast are also fantastic, headlined by Matt
Chapman as the journalist Bert Jefferson. His moments with both Goers and
Corrie resonate strongly and give what could be a minor character some depth.
June Stanley and Christopher Cordeaux have some excellent scenes as the Stanley
children June and Richard. It is so heartwarming to see the future of theatre
matching it easily with veterans showing an excellent ability to learn and be
directed without being overwhelmed.
But amidst all these outstanding performances, two really
set this production above most others. In his cameo as Beverly Carlton, cabaret
legend Michael Griffiths brings class and his enormous talent to the little
stage bringing some much-needed energy into a bloated second act. Of course,
his cabaret skills are unleashed in a beautiful song that had the audience clapping
enthusiastically.
Helen Geoffrys absolutely knows how to make an entrance,
exit, and everything in between. Her incredible talent in the role of ageing
floozy Lorraine Sheldon is worth the ticket price alone. Every line lands bang
on target, every action well thought out for maximum effect and every punchline
delivered with the ease and panache. An actress who should be doing this on
professional stages around the world.
There were still issues on opening night. The first five
minutes were unsettled which much garbled dialogue and an offstage Peter Goers
barely audible. There were also issues with the houselights which made people
think it was interval (why director Sue Wylie felt the need to drop the
curtain to change over a few props is a complete mystery). Sound cues were
also a mess at points (phone rings instead of doorbells). The audience
was also very worn down before the third act and possibly could have benefitted
from a second proper interval, however, given the already lengthy run time of
this play, this was probably the more sensible option. It is also doubtless
that much of the minor line fluffs and loose timings will tighten as the season
goes on.
All that being said, this is one of the most outstanding
productions of the year. The Rep, the cast and crew should be enormously proud
of this effort. When the world is becoming increasingly horrible and sad, it is
a play like this that remind us of laughter and the importance of theatre in
helping us put these troubles away for a few hours. Assembling a cast with this
magnitude of talent is no small feat and this play deserves full houses. You
owe it to yourself to go and see this magnificent show while you can.
- Rodney Hrvatin
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