From the moment Peter appears on stage and is greeted with spontaneous applause from an adoring audience the energy never drops in this energetic, witty comedy. Peter pitches his character perfectly. Whiteside is a curmudgeon but we need to see his charm and warmth to understand how he has gathered so many famous, fun friends. Peter makes us believe he is that guy.
The evening turns into a parade of zany, eccentric characters played by some of Adelaide’s best actors and musicians. They know how to deliver a punchline, how to control the farce for greatest effect and their physical comedy is a joy to watch.
The Man Who Came To Dinner presented by The Adelaide Repertory Theatre
A comedy by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart
Directed by Sue Wylie, Assistant Director Rose Vallen
July 9-18 2026, The Arts Theatre, 53 Angas Street, Adelaide
Opening on Broadway in 1939, The Man Who Came To Dinner was written by the brilliant Pulitzer- Prize-winning duo George S Kaufman and Moss Hart. The character, Sheridan Whiteside is based on a friend of theirs, the razor-tongued Alexander Woollcott who was a radio personality, drama critic and performer. Revered and feared for his wit and insults, he was a member of the famous Algonquin Round Table and counted many famous stars of the era and political figures amongst his friends. One of his most well-known quips was, “All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal, or fattening”.
In this comedy, Whiteside is the man who came to dinner and stays a month after an accident confines him to a wheelchair. He takes over the elegant, Ohio household of his polite hosts and proceeds to de-stabilize the family and staff and populate the space with some of his showbiz pals, a colony of cockroaches and five angry penguins.
Director Sue Wylie has delivered the cracking pace this classic comedy of the American stage demands. She also knows how to pick a cast, twenty two of them!
Don’t miss Penni Hamilton-Smith as exasperated nurse Preen, Helen Geoffreys’ sparkling, glamorous star of stage and screen, Robert Cusenza’s brilliant mashup of Harpo Marx and Jimmy Durante, Julie Quick as the mad, confused relative who regularly escapes from the attic and gets a laugh for just standing on the stairs. The icing on the cake is the guest appearance of one of our best cabaret performers, Michael Griffiths. Just when we thought the grand piano in Gary Anderson’s luxurious set was an extravagance, in walks Griffiths to tickle those ivories and give us a fabulous song straight out of The Great American Songbook, channelling both Cole Porter and Noel Coward with his droll delivery.
There is so much to like in this homage to classic Broadway comedies. The cast and production crew to create this hit runs to over forty people. Congratulations to The Rep for making this commitment and assembling this amount of talent, both on stage and off, in one place.
– Vicki Arnold
Information and Bookings: www.adelaiderep.com
