GREENFIELD — Alice Sycamore needs her family to pretend they’re normal for one night.
Luckily for the audience of “You Can’t Take It with You,” the latest production taken on by Crazy Lake Acting Company, they don’t comply, providing a three-act farce complete with kittens, explosions, and plenty of eccentric characters.
A cast of about 20 individuals play members of the Vanderhof-Sycamore-Carmichael clan and the Kirby family, who are uneasily uniting as Alice Sycamore (played by Caitlyn Mabbit) and Tony Kirby (Evan Myers) have fallen in love and plan to marry.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe Kirby family’s patriarch, Anthony Kirby Sr., the president of the company Alice and Tony work for, is played sternly by Brent Oliver, a foil for the wacky antics of Alice’s relations, whose esoteric hobbies include making fireworks and candy, playing the xylophone, and printing odd phrases on posters.
Alice is having second thoughts about the engagement, because she knows her family is peculiar and she loves them the way they are.
“I know some people could break away, but I couldn’t,” she explains to Tony.
Alice’s father, Paul Sycamore, is played by Kelly McClarnon, who said the character is like a big kid.
“He’s very whimsical, offbeat and odd,” McClarnon said. “He’s a real free spirit.”
Amy Studabaker plays Alice’s sister, Essie, who loves ballet and baking candy.
Studabaker, who usually performs in musicals, said “You Can’t Take It with You” has been a delight to rehearse for the past two months. It’s a relaxing, fun show that’ll leave audiences smiling from ear to ear, she said.
Frances Hull, who plays maid Reba, agreed with Studabaker.
“The quirkiness of the family is just a lot of fun,” she said. “Come out and see us bring these fun people to life.”
“You Can’t Take It with You” originally opened Dec. 14, 1936, and played 838 performances before closing in 1938, according to playbill.com. Writers George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for drama for their work creating the play.
The play inspired a 1938 film of the same name, directed and produced by Frank Capra, which won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director in 1939, according to Oscars.org.
According to an NPR database of the most popular plays at American high schools, “You Can’t Take It with You” has stayed in the top five most popular high school plays since it became available for amateur actors in 1939.
The play is family-friendly and bears a great message, said officials with Crazy Lake Acting Company.
Performances of “You Can’t Take It with You” will be at 7:30 p.m. on June 22-23, June 29-30, and at 2:30 p.m. July 1 at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St., Greenfield. Tickets are $10 in advance at crazylake.com or Home Town Comics, 1506 N. State St., Greenfield. For more information, visit CrazyLake Acting Company on Facebook or call 317-294-3087.
