The Adelaide Repertory Theatre (The Rep) is set to open its 2026 Season with the comedy classic, The Man Who Came to Dinner, starring iconic Adelaide personality Peter Goers and much-loved cabaret performer Michael Griffiths.
Michael has written and performed many cabaret shows that pay tribute to iconic and influential people in the music industry, including Kylie Minogue, Madonna, and Annie Lennox. He is a very sought-after performer and music director. Michael was in State Theatre Company of South Australia’s stunning production of The Normal Heart and regularly works with the sensational Carlotta.
Michael recently returned to Adelaide after a very successful tour of Simply Brill, a show he created with Amelia Ryan and Michaela Burger. Michael shared with Glam Adelaide how Simply Brillcame to its creation.
“Amelia Ryan and I were touring country Victoria with a show and Michaela Burger joined us one weekend and we locked ourselves away in a motel and cobbled together the first rendition of Simply Brill to be performed at the Cabaret Festival. We presented it to the band members who we were touring with. When we first performed it at the Cabaret Festival, I remember people getting up and dancing and going crazy at the end of the show. For us it’s not nostalgic because we’re all in our 40s and I’m in my 50s. But for the majority of the audiences these songs transport them to their youth. We have just returned from a tour of Simply Brill over in New Zealand and the response was the same. When we first created the show we had no idea we’d be doing it four years later and touring internationally with it.”
Opening this week at The Arts Theatre, Michael will be performing alongside the legendary Peter Goers in The Man Who Came To Dinner.
Written by the legendary duo George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, The Man Who Came to Dinner is widely regarded as one of the most outrageous comedy masterpieces of all time. Follow the chaos and mayhem that erupts when sharp tongued radio personality Sheridan Whiteside slips on ice outside of the Stanley home and is forced to recuperate there.
We asked Michael what drew him to this production.
“Peter Goers reached out to me months ago saying that he was doing a play and there was a role he thought would be great for me. At the time I had a lot on the go so I thanked him for his generous offer but declined. Then the season of the play got moved and the dates aligned. I spoke with the director, read the script and thought, ‘Oh, this is actually great.’ I had wanted to work with Peter as well. Growing up in Adelaide our paths have crossed over the years but we’ve never worked together. So it was an offer too good to refuse.”
Performing alongside Peter Goers and Michael is an incredible cast of some of South Australia’s best performers, including: Rebecca Kemp, Brenton Whittle, Christopher Cordeaux, Tianna Cooper, Sandi McMenamin, Kristina Kidd, Jess Corrie, Greg Janzow, Penni Hamilton-Smith, Julie Quick, Helen Geoffreys, Rob Cusenza, Matt Chapman, Christopher Ridings, Linda Lawson and Harry Passehl.
We asked Michael how rehearsals have been.
“There’s been a lot of laughter in the rehearsal room. I still laugh when I watch a run – I’ve seen some of the gags countless times now, but it’s a funny play. It is a terrific cast and it’s been wonderfully cast as well. There’s just lots of laughter and lots of camaraderie in the room.”
The Man Who Came to Dinner, directed by Sue Wylie and featuring Michael and Peter Goers, will be playing for a very limited season at The Arts Theatre: July 9th – 18th, 2026.
“I’m looking forward to hearing the laughter. Laughter is contagious. You only need one or two people with an infectious laugh, that belly laugh, and you’ll transform the whole room. It’s such a communal thing to go to the theatre and sit in the dark room with a whole bunch of other people. You only need a few people giving off that energy and it is contagious and then you suddenly have a terrific audience.”
The Man Who Came to Dinner is the first of three in-house productions for The Rep in 2026. The season also includes The Sunshine Boys (September) and the musical The Drowsy Chaperone (November)
The Man Who Came To Dinner
Arts Theatre
9th – 18th July, 2026
https://adelaiderep.com/season-2026/the-man-who-came-to-dinner
