Director Kenny Leon with lead actor Tom Key who plays Mr. Drayton
Written by | Ray Cornelius
Atlanta rolled out the red carpet this past weekend for the world premiere of Todd Kreiller’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. The two-hour production is directed by Kenny Leon and features CSI NY’s Tory Kittles and Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad. The play also features some of Atlanta’s brightest actors including Tom Key, Andrea Frye and Afemo Omilami.
The show is based upon the screenplay about a young white woman [Joanna Drayton] who falls in love with an older black man [Dr. John Prentice] and brings him home to meet her parents. Dr. Prentice, who is as equally in love with Joanna, intends to ask her parents if they can marry and that is when all hell breaks loose. Dr. Prentice’s parents are eventually brought into the picture only to make matters worse.
The popular 1967 movie version starred Sidney Poitier as Dr. John Prentice along with Katherine Hepburn as Mrs. Drayton, Spencer Tracy as Mr. Drayton, Beah Richards as Mary Prentice, Roy E. Glenn as Mr. Prentice and Isabelle Sanford as the cantankerous maid Tilly.
RC was there to capture the sights and sounds of the evening and even chatted with former RHOA star Dwight Eubanks, who supplied the décor for the VIP after party and our favorite Southern Belle, Jasmine Guy.
I also had a chance to talk to the man of the evening, Kenny Leon about the show and his upcoming projects including his all-black adaptation of Steel Magnolias and a Broadway version of the 80’s thriller, Fatal Attraction.
with Dwight Eubanks
Dwight Eubanks has been quite busy these days since leaving the RHOA. The former reality-star says he’s been doing a lot of traveling and is in the second phase of his life and career. Although he wouldn’t give me details of what he has planned, he did assure me it will be centered on his passions: fashion, beauty and glamour.
with Jasmine Guy
Actress Jasmine Guy has been doing a lot of writing this summer. She told RC she is finishing up her play based on her book about the life of Afeni Shakur called “Evolution of a Revolutionary.” Guy is also gearing up to direct an Atlanta version of the Broadway play, Mountain Top which starred Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett last fall.
with Kenny Leon
Kenny Leon says his Lifetime version of “Steel Magnolias” will be the hit of the television season when it airs in October. He applauded his all-star cast, especially Queen Latifah, whom he feels will receive an Emmy nomination for her performance. Leon is also looking forward to directing the stage version of Fatal Attraction, the 80’s thriller starring Glenn Close as Michael Douglas‘ psychopathic lover.
Check out a few more photos the evening courtesy of Done By Sight Photography…
with lead actress Bethanny Anne Lind who plays Joanna Drayton
with “soon to be retired” WSB-TV News Anchor and Atlanta media icon Monica Pearson
with actress Andrea Frye who plays Tilly
with lead actor Tory Kittles who plays Dr. John Prentice
with actress Phylicia Rashad who plays Mary Prentice
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner plays now thru July 29 at the Rialto Center for the Arts at GA State.
