YELLOWKNIFE - St. Patrick high school laid it all on the line for comedy this week at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre.

The school's drama program presented The Man Who Came to Dinner from Thursday to Saturday, and the shows were well-attended.

Chris McLean, left, and Don Couturier star in The Man Who Came to Dinner, a rip-roaring comedy presented by the St. Patrick high school drama department at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. - Terry Kruger/NNSL photo

Originally written in 1939 by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, the play takes the ambience into the Stanley household as it is turned upside down by an injured, angry and meddling house guest: famous radio personality Sheridan Whiteside (played by Chris McLean).

This version was updated with a late 60s/early 70s feel, complete with flower children, references to Jane Fonda and (oddly enough) a bit of disco music.

Keeping things localized, the play switched settings from Ohio to Yellowknife, even referring to the Gold Range for a few easy laughs.

With straightforward staging, the play relied on heavy interplay among the characters, particularly Whiteside and his faithful assistant, Maggie Cutler (played by Roz Skinner).

As Cutler becomes infatuated with "Yellowknife Journal" reporter Bert Jefferson (Don Couturier), Whiteside is determined to maintain the status quo, with increasingly ridiculous results.

From imported starlets trapped in sarcophagi, to trans-Atlantic prank phone calls, there is no end to what the pair will do to outwit and out-manoeuvre each other.

Despite a few bouts of (understandable) onstage giggles, the crew held it together, bonded by strong leads McLean, Skinner and Couturier.

McLean in particular rose to the challenge as the heavily-featured Whiteside, moving from indignant rage to comic fancy to untoward tenderness, all from the confines of a wheelchair.

Before the performance, director Marianne Maltby said the play was a challenge, based on the strong material and large number of first-time actors in her class.

If this play is any indication, we should expect good things from St. Pat's drama program for many years to come.