[BATA] "The Man Who Came to Dinner" this weekend

[Laura Lane]

You never know what celebrities are REALLY like, until you meet them.

Mr and Mrs Stanley found out that one celebrity, Sheridan Whiteside, was a
pain in the ass, in "The Man Who Came to Dinner," written in the 1930s by
George Kaufman. This play is ridiculously funny as Whiteside terrorizes his
hosts and takes advantage of their Midwestern hospitality and sensibility.
(For synopsis see below.)

The Calvary Theater Group will be performing the play this weekend and
you're all invited. Simply go to the Calvary Presbyterian Church and buy a
ticket before the performance starts.

Showtimes:
Friday (10/17): 7:30 pm
Saturday (10/18): 7:30 pm
Sunday (10/29): 2 pm and 7 pm

Theater location: Calvary Presbyterian Church, 2515 Fillmore St. (cross
street is Jackson), San Francisco
Theater is located at the lower level of the church

Synopsis:
Sheridan Whiteside, having dined at the home of the Stanleys, slips on their
doorstep breaking his hip. A tumultuous six week of confinement follow.
The Stanley living room is monopolized by the irascible invalid, ex-convicts
are invited to meals, and transatlantic calls bring a $784 phone bill. The
arrival of strange gifts from his friends further destroys domestic
tranquility. It would take a stoical housewife to harbor penguins in her
library, an octopus in her cellar, and 10,000 cockroaches in her kitchen.
When Maggie, his secretary, falls in love with the reporter, Bert Jefferson,
Whiteside summons a glamorous actress, Lorraine, to win the affections of
the young man. Knowing the girl's charms, Maggie enlists the aid of a clever
impersonator who, affecting the voice of Lord Bottomley, whom the actress
hopes to marry, asks her by phone to return to him and be married. The ruse
almost works, but Whiteside, becoming suspicious, finds that no calls have
come through from London.
In revenge, Lorraine suggests a three-week rewrite on a play of Bert's in
which she feigns great interest. Lake Placid is to furnish the quiet for his
inspiration, and she is to be his collaborator.
The unexpected arrival of a mummy case, just as the relenting Whiteside is
frantically seeking to get rid of Lorraine, furnishes a malicious idea.
Tricking her into stepping into the case, he shuts the lid and blackmails
his host into having the case carried to the airport, preparatory to a
round-the-world cruise.
Whiteside departs from the Stanley's home triumphantly, but a second later a
crash is heard -- he has again slipped and fallen!