The Man Who Didn't Actually Want to Be at Dinner: Post for 11/16

I went to see The Man Who Came to Dinner today, Sunday, at the Polk Theatre. I brought a friend from my hometown with me and we both enjoyed ourselves. At first the play didn't seem like the comedy it had been advertised as, but then Sherry Whiteside came in with his witty and intelligent comments. I kept the program from the show and I noticed a quote on the front cover, "Is there a man in the world who suffers as I do from the gross inadequacies of the human race?" I think this quote is a great representation of the Sherry character. He sees different inadequacies in everyone else. Maggie is inadequate because she fell in love. Miss Preen, the nurse, is inadequate because she does not get to him quick enough when he calls. Dr. Bradley is inadequate because he thinks he is a wonderful writer but isn't. What Sherry fails to see is that the inadequacies the he is truly suffering from are his own, the foremost being his selfishness. The statement on the cover does ring true, just in a different way than Sherry meant it. He reminded me a little of Orson Welles, director of Citizen Kane and the man who radio broadcast War of the Worlds. He was a very well-known radio-show host, just as Sherry was. He was also known for indulging in selfish pleasures at the expense of those around him.

There were also a few other characters that I enjoyed more than others, as well. Miss Preen, the nurse, had a small but comical part. She didn't have many lines but her facial expression and body language made her scenes enjoyable. Another character that made me laugh was Beverly, Sherry's Hollywood friend. The actor who played Beverly was very talented and portrayed the character in a way that had the entire audience laughing. There was another character, Banjo, that Sherry had kept referring to. Throughout the first two acts, I had been hoping that Banjo would make an appearance. I almost gave up, but in the third act he showed up. He had a very different comic style than the rest of the characters. He did more slap-stick comedy, which I am a big fan of. I liked his character. All-in-all my experience with the play was positive, entertaining, and enjoyable.