Marc Antonio Pritchett, Patty Lewis,
Abigail Stewart and Larry Eisenberg are featured in Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.
Photo: Damien Tejeda-Benitez
by Valerie Summers
Fifty five years ago William Rose wrote the screenplay for the award winning Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? and director Stanley Kramer brought it to the silver screen. Issues of racism, prejudice and interracial marriage have been brilliantly given a new life at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills thanks to play-write Todd Kreidler. The stunning cast confronts issues surrounding interracial marriage when the daughter of a progressive white family brings home a gifted Black doctor who she has fallen in love with. Her father, who is a newspaper publisher, and mother, soon realize there is a difference between supporting mixed race couples to marry in their newspaper and welcoming a Black highly educated gentleman into their family especially in the late ’60s. This is the story of a black family and a white family coming together and having to face their prejudices. Its a rocky road to navigate built in prejudices especially before interracial marriage was made legal. Issues of equality, justice and social status are exposed which still exist. There are plenty of laughs to lighten the confrontations as the families evolve in dealing with their prejudices.
Theater 40
241 S Moreno Drive
Beverly Hills
(Campus of Beverly Hills High School)
310/364-3606
Free underground parking
Nov. 17-Dec. 18