By Eva Trieger
POWAY, California — Benjamin Franklin is supposed to have said, ”Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” Well, The Man Who Came To Dinner at PowPac Theatre bears this out! In Moss Hart’s and George Kaufman’s play, this adage comes to life. Directed by Rhiannon McAfee, the marvelous cast of the Julia Smith production delivers the tale of a self-important, “bombastic” man who manipulates his minions for his own design.
The play is set in Mesalia, Ohio, where an arrogant radio personality, Sheridan Whiteside (Steve Murdock), slips on a patch of ice and breaks his hip at the doorstep of the Stanley (Haig Koshkarian and Becca Lynne) home. The Stanleys graciously host this egomaniac but are unprepared for his absurd demands. They have been relegated to their bedrooms and the rear staircase so that he can hold court for his entourage.
But it isn’t only the Stanleys who are being manipulated and controlled by this mastermind. Whiteside’s charisma and charm have the desired effect on most everyone, at least in the short term.
Having such a big media celebrity in a small town brings out all sorts of fans. Mrs. McCutcheon (Alayne Flores) and Mrs. Dexter (Elaine Litton) are oh-so-eager to meet the legend, only to suffer rude insults and a dismissive response. The Stanleys’ staff, butler John (Richard Cajka) and baker (Morgan Miller), become sycophants to this guest’s unrelenting ego. There are a precious few who avoid this Svengali’s charm, but even they seem to be enchanted by Whiteside’s charisma at some level. His loyal assistant, Maggie (Andrea Roebuck) would seemingly take a bullet for her boss, until she meets, and falls for Mesalia’s own newspaper man Bert Jefferson (Aion Harrison).
Whiteside is hell bent on wreaking havoc in the house, undermining parents’ wishes for their daughters Rachel (Ashley Arnold) and June (Morgan Miller), and maintaining a constant stream of verbal abuse towards his nurse, Miss Preen (Peg Daly) and doctor, Dr. Bradley (Lucinda Moaney). Not willing to lose his right-hand woman, Whiteside brings out his secret weapon, the starlet Lorraine Sheldon (Alayne Flores) to lure Bert away from Maggie. Maggie retaliates with her own scheme that includes another actor, Beverly Carlton (Kerry Menchin).
The show is very engaging and funny. The rapid-fire wit is evident in the writing and this cast does a fantastic job of playing off of each other. While the story does move along at a good clip, this reviewer found the show a bit too long and felt that it would have benefitted from some editing. Kudos to the director and stage manager for maximizing the small stage to accommodate this 14-actor cast!
The Man Who Came to Dinner will run through Dec. 8. Tickets may be purchased at boxoffice@powpac.org or by phone at 858.679.8085.
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Eva Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.