When “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” debuted 50 years ago, it
was the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Interracial marriage was still
illegal in 16 states, and the subject made a lot of people uncomfortable. Like
a true artist, filmmaker Stanley Kramer saw a chance to begin a conversation,
so he assembled an all-star cast (led by longtime onscreen duo Spencer Tracy
and Katharine Hepburn) and created a lasting, Academy Award-winning film that
explored what might happen if the daughter of a liberal white couple brought
her black fiancรฉ home to meet the family.
Geva Theatre
Center, through March 12, is staging “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” adapted by
Todd Kreidler based on William Rose’s 1967 screenplay. It’s the third Wilson
Stage production this season, and is co-produced with Indiana Repertory Theatre
(the show played there from January 10 through February 4).
The plot is centered
on the Drayton family, San Francisco residents and avid supporters of
progressive worldviews. Matthew, the patriarch, is a top editor with The Guardian,
while his wife, Christina, runs an art gallery that relies on wealthy patrons.
She’s planning a luncheon at her home for one such patron when the couple’s
daughter, Joanna, arrives home unexpectedly from Hawaii. While working as a
nurse there, Joanna met the love of her life, Dr. John Prentice Jr. He’s a
little older than she is, but he’s accomplished. And there’s one other small
detail: he’s black. The Draytons are shocked and chagrined, but things really
start to pick up when Joanna reveals she’s invited another set of guests to
dinner as well.
Skip Greer,
who audiences may remember as Atticus Finch in last year’s “To Kill a
Mockingbird,” deftly directs the nine-person cast. Greer seems to thrive in the
realm of classics returned to relevance for modern audiences, and “Guess Who’s
Coming to Dinner” is no exception. “To Kill a Mockingbird” actors Nora Cole and
Brigitt Markusfeld are in this show as well.
While the
ensemble as a whole is quite strong, some of the actors take a little time to
ease into their characters. Markusfeld (portraying Christina Drayton) and
Constance Macy (Mrs. Drayton’s gallery manager, Hilary St. George) have a
rather wooden exchange in the beginning of the show, but Lynda Gravatt
(housekeeper Matilda “Tilly” Binks) seems to guide both her cast mates and the
audience back to the storyline with her expert side-eye and sassy comic relief.
Craig Spidle (Matthew Drayton) is the embodiment of a crusty newspaperman who
adores his wife and daughter; the back-and-forth between Spidle and Markusfeld
provides some of the best moments in the show. Later on, Markusfeld is
particularly gripping as the protective mother.
Chelsea
Morgan (Joanna Drayton), a last-minute addition in the role, is bewitching as
the idealistic 25-year-old daughter. Opposite her is Chike Johnson (Dr. John
Prentice Jr.) with a handsome, charming presence onstage. During the scene with
his father, John Prentice Sr. — portrayed by Cleavant Derricks — the emotional
stakes of the show are raised. Derricks holds his own, and as Mary Prentice,
the matriarch of the family, Nora Cole is an elegant portrait of a mother
caught between her son and her husband. Rounding out the cast is Mark
Goetzinger (Monsignor Ryan, a Catholic priest and friend to the Draytons),
whose Irish lilt and comfort onstage lends even more comedic relief to a
weighty few hours. (Monsignor and Tilly should really have their own spinoff
show.)
The scenic
design by Robert Koharchik is a thing of beauty. When audience members entered
the theater, there were gasps of awe as they realized the entire interior of a
midcentury modern home has been built on Geva’s stage, complete with cacti and
succulents on the patio and Eames-inspired furniture. The set is so believable,
coupled with luscious costume design by B. Modern, that it makes the story even
more engrossing. Lighting design by Kendall Smith is equally impressive, as
it’s not only a stage but a partial house that requires illumination.
“Guess Who’s
Coming to Dinner” is a show that feels uncannily and uncomfortably relevant in
the light of current events (or even alongside Jordan Peele’s recent horror
film “Get Out”), and Geva’s production is a masterpiece. As soon as the lights
went down on Thursday’s performance, a standing ovation began. By the time the
cast was assembled for curtain call, the entire audience was standing. The
response speaks to the talent onstage, of course — but it also to the power of
the show.
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2017.
