Community, GCSU come together for dinner

   Most people have had an extremely aggravating guest at their house who outstays their welcome. This is what Moss Hart and George Kaufman’s “The Man Who Came to Dinner” is all about.
    The Milledgeville Players and the GCSU Department of Music and Theatre presented the comedy this past weekend. Directed by Amy Burt (Department of English, Speech, and Journalism), this comical play was presented through Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. in Russell Auditorium. On Sunday, Sept 3, the play was presented at 2 p.m. at the same location.
    The story begins when Sheridan Whiteside (played by Dr. Tom Toney of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences), a broadcast journalist in New York City, injures his hip by falling down the doorsteps of the Stanley’s household.
    Mr. Whiteside, with his constant bad mood and ironic sense of humor, decides to come back for a “sympathetic” visit, promising to sue the Stanley’s for $150, 000, based on his injury at their house. Mr. Whiteside then proceeds to drive his unwitting hosts insane by bringing unusual guests such as an insect expert, an octopus, 22 Chinese students and a penguin breeder.
    The setting of the play was very simple – a living room with a large white sofa, framed pictures on the wall, a couple of wooden chairs and a constantly ringing telephone.
    “The Man Who Came to Dinner” featured for 19 actors, including some GCSU students and faculty. Besides Dr. Toney (Mr. Whiteside), other faculty members were involved in the play, including Spanish professor Anisio Santos.
    “Despite the fact that we started the rehearsals in the beginning of August, I was very nervous, especially on the first day,” Santos said. “This was only the second play I was in and I intend to keep on doing some acting. It is fun.” Lindsay Bailey, Kari Waters, Chris Cowan, and Brett Chatham were students who participated in this production. Other faculty and staff members included Amy Harrington, Evelyn Palm, David Wells, Emily Prather, Iona Pendergast and Jan Hoffman all playing roles that showcased their English accent skills.
    “I came here mainly to see my Communication Society Professor, Dr. Hoffman (Harriet Stanley),” said sophomore management major Marjorie Ceppo. “She played a hilarious character and I was surprised with her acting skills.”
    The majority of the audiences at Russell Auditorium were people of age ranging between 35-65 years old, but some students showed up as well.
    “These actors showed some really good acting skills. They are really talented and funny,” said Marcelo Ferreira, a health promotion graduate student. “I like the idea of having plays here in our school. Theatre is great culture and also something other than the usual to do.”
    Up next for the community theatre is the play “Psychopathia Sexualis”, by John Patrick Shanley, and will be shown from Sept. 27 to 30, at 8 p.m., and Oct. 1 at 2 p.m., in Russell Auditorium.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 8 2006. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry