CHS Drama Club presents "The Man Who Came to Dinner'

In this scene from the first act of "The Man Who Came to Dinner" performed by the CHS Drama Club are, from left, Lindsey Morris as Maggie Cutler, Hannah Banderman as Miss Preen, Matthew Oerly as Sheridan Whiteside, Dylan Silvey as Dr. Bradley, Jordyn Simmons as June Stanley, Halle Oliver as Mrs. Stanley and Caleb Stahl as Mr. Stanley. The play was orginally written in the 1930s by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.
In this scene from the first act of "The Man Who Came to Dinner" performed by the CHS Drama Club are, from left, Lindsey Morris as Maggie Cutler, Hannah Banderman as Miss Preen, Matthew Oerly as Sheridan Whiteside, Dylan Silvey as Dr. Bradley, Jordyn Simmons as June Stanley, Halle Oliver as Mrs. Stanley and Caleb Stahl as Mr. Stanley. The play was orginally written in the 1930s by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.

The 2015 play production "The Man Who Came to Dinner" by the California High School Drama Club, directed by California's Ann Maxson, turned out to be a rousing success. In performance of the three act play, the actors, crew and director met, and exceeded, the expectations of the audience. Even the Set Crew, made up of the CHS Theatre Arts Students, rose to the task of actually preparing a set which appeared to be a large living room of a substantial house in which all three acts took place.

The performances were held Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19, drawing a good crowd for each performance.

Set in a small town, Mesalia, Ohio, the events of the play take place in the time leading up to Christmas sometime in the 1930s. The audience is informed by exposition of the cast that an obnoxious theater critic and radio lecturer Sheridan Whiteside, known as Sherry to his friends, from New York City was invited to dinner at the home of wealthy Ernest W. Stanley and his family.

While entering to dine, Whiteside (portrayed by Matthew Oerly) slips on a patch of ice outside the front door and injures his hip. Told he has to stay there confined to a wheelchair until his hip heals, he is attended by Dr. Bradley (Dylan Silvey), the absent-minded town physician, Miss Preen (Hannah Banderman), his frantic nurse, and Maggie Cutler (Lindsey Morris), his faithful secretary. The obnoxious man is confined to the home of Earnest Stanley (Caleb Stahl) and his wife Daisy (Halle Oliver).

While there, he takes over their house, relegating the family to the second floor, viciously insults the family and takes control of the staff. He also runs up huge telephone bills calling his friends and acquaintances in Hollywood, London, Egypt and other places. Whiteside also invites in many strange and undesirable guests including paroled convicts. He manages to make friends of the Stanleys' children, June (Jordyn Simmons) and Richard (Jacob Collier) as well as Mr. Stanley's eccentric older sister Harriet (Raven Kirk).

He also makes friends with Bert Jefferson (Mason Albertson), local newspaper man and aspiring playwright. Whiteside finds out that his secretary Maggie is in love with Bert and plans to leave the job and marry him. Since Whiteside doesn't want to lose his secretary, he sets about to break up the marriage plans by bringing in his friend, actress Lorrain Sheldon (Jasmine Wells), to look at Bert's play and take his attention away from Maggie.

When Dr. Bradley informs the unwelcome visitor the diagnosis was mistaken, and he is actually well enough to leave, Whiteside keeps the doctor quiet about the change by pretending to help him work on a book, but brushes him off for the rest of the play.

Everything gets worse, and more bizarre as Christmas comes closer. The Stanley daughter is encouraged to elope with a young man whom her father disapproves of, and the Stanley son is convinced to run away to pursue his own dreams. Maggie, thinking the arrival of Lorrain is suspicious in its timing, has another visitor friend, a British actor and playwright Beverly Carlton (Jack Johnston), call Lorrain and pretend to be an English lord Lorrain hopes to marry. The proposal is made and Lorrain gets ready to leave. Whiteside figures out what is happening and lets Lorrain know. She then seeks revenge on Maggie by trying to seduce Bert.

On Christmas Day, as Bert is falling for Lorraine, Maggie tells Whiteside she is quitting and really lays it out just how self-centered and despicable he is. Whiteside, realizes he has overstepped, and tries to get Lorrain out of town. An unexpected visit by another friend, movie comedian Banjo, brings more strange happenings to those stuck in the house.

Homeowner Stanley is very angry with Whiteside's interference with the family and orders the man evicted from the house, with 15 minutes to leave. The story becomes even more bizarre. After an Egyptian mummy case arrives for Whiteside as a Christmas gift from the Khedive of Egypt, Whiteside and Banjo trick Lorrain into the mummy case and shut her inside. Whiteside then sees a photo of Harriet Stanley when she was younger, and recognizes her as a well-known axe-murderer. He than blackmails her wealthy brother into working with them to get the mummy case on Banjo's plane.

Nearing the end of the play, Whiteside stands up, showing his hip is fine. He then tells Maggie she is free to marry Bert, and leaves the house to go back to New York by train. As he leaves the house, Whiteside gets his comeuppance as he slips on another patch of ice, injuring himself yet again. As the curtain closes, Whiteside is carried back into the house screaming.

Cast

Mrs. Earnest "Daisy" Stanley - Halle Oliver, Miss Preen - Hannah Banderman, Richard Stanley - Jacob Collier, June Stanley - Jordyn Simmons, Sarah - Brooklyn Ford, Mrs. Dexter and Deputy - Samatha Beckham, Mrs. McCutcheon and Deputy - Emma Baer, Mr. Earnest Stanley - Caleb Stahl, Maggie Cutler - Lindsey Morris, Dr. Bradley - Dylan Silvey, Sheridan Whiteside - Matthew Oerly, Harriet Stanley - Raven Kirk, Bert Jefferson - Mason Albertson, Professor Metz and Choir Singer - Ane Mikkelsen, Lorrain Sheldon - Jasmine Wells, Beverly Carlton - Jack Johnston, Banjo - Taylor Kuttenkuler, Sandy - Benigno Corono, John - Cole Pettigrew, Westcott - Elizabeth Lutz - Radio Technician #1 and Prisoner - May Henley, Radio Technician #2 and Prisoner - Ellie Wirtz, Express Woman and Choir Singer - Brittney Ellington, Express Woman and Choir Singer - Lindsey VanDieren.

Crew

Director - Ann Maxson, Technical Director - Lori Bailey, Auditorium Manager - Brad Friedrich, Stage Manager - Lindsey VanDieren, Assistant Stage Manager - Emma Bailey, Prop Manager - Annie Trimble, Light Board Operator - Matthew Henley, Set Crew and Publicity - Theatre Arts Students.

The Director, Ann Maxson, is in her second year with Moniteau County R-1 School District. She teaches English I, Theatre Arts, Actor's Studio, and Dramatic Literature. She is faculty sponsor for Drama Club and Writers Club. She earned Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education and Theatre from Drury University, Springfield. Before coming to CHS, Maxson taught English in South Korea, instructed theatre workshops in St. Louis and worked as an actress on theatre and film projects.