Review of The Man Who Came to Dinner
by Anne Hulegard in the RAVE! section of the
Santa Monica Daily Breeze
July 12, 2002

    "The Man Who Came to Dinner," the 1939 screwball comedy by Kaufman and Hart, plays at Kentwood Players' 50-plus year-old Westchester Playhouse. Both play and theater are classics.
    Sheridan Whiteside, famous radio star, world traveler and hobnobber, slips on the porch of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley (small town, conservative, upper crust nobodies) and wreaks havoc while recovering in their home. Caustic and egotistic, Whiteside gives orders to the Stanley family and their staff from the confines of his wheelchair.
   There's never a dull moment as a parade of oddball locals come to gawk and Whiteside's "anybody who's anyone" friends come to visit.
   Playwrights George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart are famous for throwing together the most unlikely characters in the most bizarre situations, culminating in crazy antics, madcap shenanigans and a poignant message. This version of "The Man Who Came to Dinner" produces on all fronts.
   Director Gail Bernardi skillfully cast 19 players and keeps the pace moving. At a running time of almost three hours, however, it might have been a good idea to forgo the additional intermission.
   Seasoned actor Jack Rubens successfully tackles the "bigger than life" role of Whiteside with a flamboyant flair. Catherine Rahm plays Maggie (Whiteside's secretary) with great sensitivity and a '30s style reminiscent of Ginger Rogers. Actor Shawn Savage, who plays Bert Jefferson (local newspaperman and Maggie's love interest) is a perfect leading man with honest good looks and a sincere charm.
   Barbara Trenn, who plays Sarah (the Stanley's cook) and Elizabeth Ash, who plays Mr. Stanley's eccentric sister, were amont the scene stealers. Trenn was so adorable as Sarah that it's easy to see why Mr. Whiteside wanted to steal her away from the Stanleys. And Ash is hilarious as she floats on stage like an over-aged Ophelia.
   The highlight of the play is Susan Gordon's portrayal of the affected social climber, movie star Lorraine Sheldon. Gordon has excellent comic timing and is especially hysterical during a desperate phone call (when her character's phony British accent gives way to her common Kansas roots).
   Actors Hal Fisher, Barry Silver, Margie Bates and Michael Cohen also provided enjoyable moments. Some performances are a bit uneven, but this ensemble gives it their all.
   Max Heldring Stormes' set is functional and Maria Cohen's period costumes contribute nicely to the mood and style of the play. Gordon's wardrobe, though, may be too matronly for Lorraine Sheldon's colorful and glamorous character.
   Whiteside and his friends seem shallow at times, but these friends are like family, a dysfunctional family, but family nonetheless. As Lorraine Sheldon puts it, "What else has one in the world but friends?" And Whiteside is not as self-absorbed as we first believe... indeed he's a sympathetic ear to the Stanleys' wanderlust children and an advocate of true love.
   More than six decades after its debut, "The Man Who Came to Dinner" remains a timeless comedy with a relevant message.