West Aurora High School presents 'The Man Who Came to Dinner'

West Aurora Drama Troupe 2013 will present its fall play, "The Man Who Came to Dinner" by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16-18, in the West Aurora High School auditorium, 1201 W. New York St., Aurora.

The show is directed by Ken Ruffalo. Tickets are $8 and are available at www.sd129tickets.org. Limited tickets will be sold at the door.

"The Man Who Came to Dinner" follows Sheridan Whiteside, a popular radio host who injures himself unexpectedly while on a radio tour passing through Ohio. In order to recover, he must halt his tour and becomes the house guest of the area's prominent Stanley family. His popularity and fame bring all kinds of ridiculous issues to the Stanley home.

On top of that, Whiteside's secretary, Maggie, falls in love with a reporter from the area, and Whiteside does not approve. He then decides to meddle in the love affair, which causes even more mayhem inside the Stanley household. Combine some penguins, cockroaches, and an Egyptian sarcophagus, and this show is a wild ride that will have the audience laughing from beginning to end.

Director Ken Ruffalo chose this particular show because it is a "classic, 'old-school' comedy." He says that it will "allow our students to experience a different kind of show." Along with this type of show come some challenges, however. For Ruffalo and the cast, he says that the biggest challenge will be "dealing with the time it takes place. Many references are dated and the style of humor is different from what the students know today."

For those who are unfamiliar with the show, it takes place in the 1930s and has a vaudeville-esque pace to it, meaning that the comedic timing is fast-paced, but has to hit hard at the same time.

Despite the challenges, Ruffalo says that his reward with a show this difficult is "the openness and passion these students have for theater. They are always working hard and willing to experiment with new ideas to better their performance."