Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a play by William Arthur Rose.

The original text

Dealing with inter-racial marriages, it was originally written as a filmscript and produced in Hollywood in 1967, directed by Stanley Kramer, with Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn and Katharine Houghton.

Translations and adaptations

The film script was adapted for the stage by Pierre van Pletzen in 1991 and translated into Afrikaans by Pieter Fourie with the title Raai Wie Kom vir Ete?.

Another version of this adapted text was performed in Afrikaans, English and Xhosa as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 1993.

Performance history in South Africa

1991: Performed in Afrikaans as Raai Wie Kom vir Ete? by TRUK, directed by Francois Swart at The Arena in the State Theatre, Pretoria and the Alexander Theatre, in 1991. Designs Chris van den Berg, lighting by Jacques Mulder. The cast Peter Se-Puma, Judy Louw, June van Merch, Antoinette Kellermann, Johan Malherbe, Eghard van der Hoven, Patrick Ndlovu, Temsie Times. Senior stage manager Johann van Heerden.

1992: Performed in English as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner by NAPAC Drama in June 1992.

1993: Performed in Afrikaans, English and Xhosa as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (translated by Pieter Fourie, adapted by Pierre van Pletzen), directed by Marthinus Basson, design by Fanie Steenkamp, lighting by Malcom Hurrell at Nico Malan with Louw Verwey, Wilna Snyman nominated Best Actress Fleur du Cap, Sam Williams nominated Best Supporting Actor in (1994). Also starring Nomkhita Bavuma, Anthea Thompson, Siswe Msutu, Neels Coetzee and Gail Reagan.

.

Sources

PACT Theatre programme, 1991.

Natal Mercury, 10 June 1992.

Cape Argus, 8 February 1994.

Thomas Riccio. 2007. Performing Africa: Remixing Tradition, Theatre, and Culture. New York, Peter Lang: p. 25

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