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Man Who Came to Dinner

The Bradley Playhouse will present “The Man Who Came to Dinner” starting June 5. Pictured at rehearsal are: Cherie Bonnardi (Sarah), Jim Douglas (Whiteside), Bonnie Theriault (Miss Preen), Diane Pollard (Mrs. Stanley). Courtesy photo.

 

 

 

PUTNAM — The Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut at the Bradley Playhouse will present the great American classic comedy “The Man Who Came to Dinner” by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. The show opens June 5th and runs for three weekends.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 and at 2 p.m. June 7, 14 and 21. Tickets are $19 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. The Bradley Playhouse is located at 30 Front Street (Route 44) in Putnam, CT.  All seats are reserved. Reservations may be made with a major credit card online at www.thebradleyplayhouse.org or by calling 860-928-7887. Tickets may be purchased at the theater box office, either before the performance or at the door. As always, purchasing your tickets ahead of time is recommended.

The Man Who Came to Dinner, Sheridan Whiteside, is a famous radio personality who, having dined at the home of the Stanley’s in Ohio, slips on their doorstep and breaks his hip. A tumultuous six weeks of confinement follows, during which he monopolizes their home, receives strange gifts from his friends and meddles in the Stanley’s lives. When his secretary, Maggie, falls in love with Bert Jefferson, a local newspaperman, Whiteside will do anything to prevent her from leaving him. The plot thickens when his Hollywood friends arrive – movie star Lorraine Sheldon and lovable characters Beverly Carlton and Banjo.

The TNECT production of The Man Who Came to Dinner is directed by Kathleen Atwood, who is assisted by Robin Lofquist. Jim Douglas appears as the overbearing Sheridan Whiteside and Olivia Hussey is his secretary Maggie. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, his long-suffering hosts, are played by Thomas Moody and Diane Pollard. Local reporter Bert Jefferson is portrayed by Derek Broszeit and Nicole Fitzpatrick plays movie star Lorraine Sheldon. Other visitors from Hollywood are Beverly Carlton played by Nicholas Magrey and Banjo acted by Roy Simmons. Jimmy Weigel and Bonnie Theriault are the medical staff, Dr. Bradley and Nurse Preen.

The Man Who Came to Dinner opened in 1937 at the Music Box Theatre in New York City and ran until 1941. A film version came out in 1942 and featured Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monte Woolley and Jimmy Durante. In 1949, CBS Radio’s “The Hotpoint Holiday Hour” presented an adaptation starring Charles Boyer, Jack Benny, Gene Kelly, Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Rosalind Russell. The 1972 TV version appeared on “Hallmark Hall of Fame” and featured Orson Welles (Whiteside), Lee Remick (Maggie), Joan Collins (Lorraine), Don Knotts (Dr. Bradley) and Marty Feldman (Banjo). There was a 2000 Broadway revival with Nathan Lane as Whiteside and Jean Smart as Lorraine.