Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Play) Plot & Characters

Overview

Synopsis

The 1967 film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was one of the first to directly address interracial marriage at a time when segregation was still the norm in many parts of the United States. The story concerns Joanna “Joey�� Drayton, who surprises her politically liberal parents, Matt and Christina, when she brings home Dr. John Prentice, a black man she intends to marry. With the country still bitterly divided on race and interracial marriage illegal in 17 states, the Draytons are less than thrilled. To further complicate things, Dr. Prentice, 14 years Joanna’s senior, plans to fly to Geneva the next day and insists on having Matt and Christina’s blessing before he marries their daughter.

Todd Kreidler’s play is a faithful adaptation, preserving the story and most iconic moments from the movie, with some changes to the character’s backstories. In the stage version, Matt and Christina lost their son to an illness 15 years prior, giving them some common ground with Dr. Prentice. Kreidler also introduces some flaws into Dr. Prentice’s character and gives John Prentice, Sr. more agency over the final outcome. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is still set in the 1960s, but the dialogue has been adjusted to fit modern sensibilities against the backdrop of racial justice reckonings and difficult conversations around the topic of race and systemic discrimination. In that sense, it is, as Kreidler explains, “set in the 60s but not of the 60s��.

Show Information

Book: Todd Kreidler

Based on the Play/Book/Film: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967 film)

Category: Play

Age Guidance: Thirteen Plus (PG-13)

Number of Acts: 2

First Produced: 2012

Genres: Drama

Settings: Period, Unit/Single Set

Time & Place: The Drayton home, San Francisco, California, 1967

Cast Size: medium

Licensor

Ideal For: Diverse Cast, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Regional Theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Adult, Young Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast

Lead Characters

View all characters in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Context

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Plot

Characters

Name	Part Size	Gender	Vocal Part
Christina Drayton	Lead	Female	Non-singer
Matt Drayton	Lead	Male	Non-singer
Joanna Drayton	Lead	Female	Non-singer
Dr. John Prentice	Lead	Male	Non-singer
Matilda Binks	Supporting	Female	Non-singer
Hilary St. George	Supporting	Female	Non-singer
Monsignor Ryan	Supporting	Male	Non-singer
John Prentice Sr.	Supporting	Male	Non-singer
Mary Prentice	Supporting	Female	Non-singer

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

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