Overview
Synopsis
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest W. Stanley are thrilled when Sheridan Whiteside, a brilliant, witty, and widely beloved radio celebrity, accepts their invitation to dinner on his tour through their little town of Mesalia, Ohio. However, when Whiteside injures himself by slipping on a piece of ice on their doorstep, and is confined to their home for the better part of December, the Stanleys are not so pleased with the change in their household. Brilliant, witty, and highly beloved he may be, but Whiteside has the behavior of a mischievous, sarcastic, entitled princeling, and he does not suffer fools. Demanding control of the entire household -- on top of the $150,000 for which he is suing Mr. Stanley -- in recompense for his injury, Whiteside commandeers the telephone, fills the library with penguins and cockroaches, and invites a band of paroled convicts over for lunch. For his part, Whiteside finds his small-town confinement to be incredibly irritating, and is bewildered and annoyed by his encounters with persistent Dr. Bradley, who has written a book, and Mr. Stanley’s spooky sister Harriet, who bestows a holly branch on him as a token of regard. Bert Jefferson, a personable young reporter with ambitions to be a playwright, seems to be the only local worthy of respect -- but when Whiteside’s secretary Maggie Cutler, upon whom he relies for her sharp intelligence and endless patience, falls in love with Bert and declares that she will leave her job to marry him, Whiteside descends into a panic. He calls on glamorous vamp Lorraine Sheldon, an actress with quite an offstage reputation, to lure Bert away from Maggie, under the guise of pursuing his brilliant play. Maggie counters with a trick of her own, aided by the vocal impressions of sophisticated British performer Beverly Carlton. Her plan to send Lorraine on a wild goose chase is discovered, however, and the venomous Miss Sheldon prepares to take great pleasure in destroying Maggie’s heart, and ultimately Whiteside’s peace of mind.
With Maggie preparing to leave his service, married or not, and Mr. Stanley preparing to throw him out into the snow, a newly contrite Sheridan Whiteside must save the day armed only with his knowledge of famous murderers, his friend Banjo’s airplane to Nova Scotia, and his newly acquired mummy case, sent as a Christmas present from the Khedive of Egypt. Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s The Man Who Came to Dinner is a brilliantly witty madcap play, which manages to combine the sophistication of great comedic literature, the frenetic energy of the silliest farce, and a genuinely sweet heart into one of the most beloved comedies of the American theatre. Filled with fascinating character roles and winking homage to the intellectual and popular culture of the 1930s, this play is both a great period piece and a timeless classic.
Show Information
- Book
- Moss Hart , George S. Kaufman
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1939
- Genres
- Comedy, Farce
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- december, mesalia, ohio, 1930s
- Cast Size
- large
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult, Late Teen, Child Characters, Large Cast
Context
The Man Who Came to Dinner, by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, had its premiere at the Music Box Theatre in New York City on October 16, 1939. It ran until 1941, and starred Monty Woolley as Sheridan Whiteside and Edith Atwater as Maggie Cutler, with Carol Goodner as Lorraine Sheldon, John Hoysradt as Beverly Carlton, and David Burns as Banjo. Woolley reprised his leading role in the 1942 feature film, with Bette Davis as Maggie Cutler, Anne Sheridan as Lorraine Sheldon, Reginald Gardiner as
to read the context for The Man Who Came to Dinner and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
On a cold December morning, in the comfortable Mesalia, Ohio, home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest W. Stanley, the household is in an uproar. As an unseen, belligerent patient yells vigorous insults at his doctor and nurse, the Stanleys, including their son Richard and daughter June, wait with excitement and anxiety. Two starstruck friends of Mrs. Stanley's, Mrs. Dexter and Mrs. McCutcheon, drop by with gifts for the invalid, bringing a newspaper article explaining the situation: famed
to read the plot for The Man Who Came to Dinner and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Ensemble |
Male |
Spoken |
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Ensemble |
Male |
Silent |
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Ensemble |
Male |
Treble/Boy Soprano |
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Ensemble |
Male |
Silent |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A type of comedy that uses exaggeration, often with clowning and ridiculous behaviors, in order to entertain.
A restaging of a stage production after its original run has closed.
Slapstick is a style of physical comedy, often involving chases, silly and exaggerated movements and activities, and simple practical jokes. It can also represent violence in an over-the-top, comical guise.
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
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