A feature article with quotes from Penny Enthusiasm of eccentric Sycamore clan hard to resist Catey Sullivan Pioneer Press When Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman penned "You Can't Take It With You," they came up with a plot that paved the way for everything from "The Addams Family" to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Take a family of eccentrics and insert a "normal" group in their midst. And make sure that if the eccentrics fail to pass muster with the normals, dire consequences will ensue. For the Pulitzer Prize-winning, 1936 drama "You Can't Take it With You," the loveable crazy people are all members of the Sycamore family. When daughter Alice (Lucy Carapetyan) brings home her buttoned-up boyfriend (Bernie Balbot) and his snooty high society parents (Patrick Clear, Jennifer Avery) for dinner, the evening explodes out of control. Alice wants to impress her future in-laws with her suitability, but Alice's family isn't exactly a bastion of Wasp propriety. Opening this week at Skokie's Northlight Theatre, "You Can't Take it With You" is a rom-com that celebrates not just the young lovebirds but also the zany, individualistic Sycamore clan. As Penny and Paul Sycamore, Penny Slusher and Brad Armacost are the loving parents who oversee an on-stage brood of of aspiring ballet dancers, xylophone players, fireworks manufacturers and a motley assortment of visitors and permanent houseguests, including a couple of G-Men determined to haul at least one member of the Sycamore family off to the hoosegow. Armacost initially approached the play like a lot of people do, viewing it as a well-worn chestnut/warhorse that's usually trotted out for high school productions. "Yeah, I was calling it a chestnut when we started working on it. It's easy to underestimate just how deeply intuitive it is," he says. "It might seem on the surface like this simple, zany comedy full of easy laughs. But look deeper into it. Kauffman and Hart wrote a family living between two monumentally difficult times. "I think that Kauffman and Hart gave us a play that let the country kind of catch its breath," he continues. "The first World War was over. The Depression was everywhere. The events that led up to World War II were unfolding all over Europe. And then there's the Sycamores with all their love and all their comedy, reassuring us that things could be OK." As Paul's wife Penny, Slusher plays a woman completely in love with her husband and fervently devoted to her career as a painter and a playwright, even though it's understood that she's absolutely terrible at both and will never have a career in either. Like the rest of the Sycamores, her viva la difference design for living helps create a household bursting with vibrance. "Acceptance is a big theme here," says Slusher. "The Sycamores embrace their own way of living, but they don't necessarily think it's the only way of living." REVIEW ROUNDUPS
Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended "..."You Can't Take It With You" (not to be confused, as is often the case, with either "The Man Who Came to Dinner" or "Once in a Lifetime") was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1937. That's no mean feat for a screwball comedy. Ever since, the play been a staple of high school and college theater, although its popularity is surely on the wane. But Northlight has put together a cast stocked with Chicago names: Hollis Resnik, John Judd, Brad Armacost, Patrick Clear, Penny Slusher and Sean Fortunato. It's quite a crew, and I mean no insult in the omission of many other names in the program. There are enough Sycamores and hangers-on to challenge any nonprofit theater's budget." Read Full Review Chris Jones Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended "...The play is now receiving a revival by Northlight Theatre featuring a large (17-person), A-list cast under the direction of Devon De Mayo. And to be sure, some of its lines about taxes, government benefits, politics, social class and more can be funny and timely. But the zaniness of it all tends to wear thin pretty quickly. And despite the genuine heart at the core of this play, it feels more dated than beguiling." Read Full Review Hedy Weiss Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended"...Despite dated jokes and a setup that would be far less charming were it set in the present (a charming tax cheat!), this 1936 Kaufman and Hart comedy endures. But even if it's nostalgia that helps keep the play alive, this Northlight Theatre revival is a surprisingly fresh production," Read Full Review Suzanne Scanlon Time Out Chicago - Recommended "...The finest moments in the play come from its collection of quirky characters. Joanne Dubach’s Essie prances around the stage with a delightful doe-eyed wonderment. Sean Fortunato’s on point(e) dance instructor Kolenkhov expresses a genuine warmth for the whole Sycamore clan beneath his gruff Russian candor. John Judd gives a stellar performance as the family patriarch; his tender defense of pursuing a life of passion over one of wealth certainly rings true for the Chicago theatre community." Read Full Review Jamie Mermelstein ChicagoCritic - Recommended "...With its message of "live in the now-and enjoy life by doing what makes you happy," this play is a tribute to all eccentrics. You can't Take It With You is so full of sweet nonsense and upbeat humor that it will make you forget your troubles for a couple of hours leaving you with a big grin. That-you can take with you!" Read Full Review Tom Williams Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended "...I love the oldies! I must say that today, I had one of my most enjoyable trips to the theater on a Saturday afternoon. The place- Northlight theatre in Skokie! The play- none other than "You Can't Take It With You", the Moss Hart/George S. Kaufman tale that allows us to take a look at how a dysfunctional family, can be, in fact, the family that we yearn to be a part of. How many of us wish we could tell the IRS to take a flying leap? How many of us would love to tell our boss "Take this job and shove it!" and then never work again? How many of us want to write a play? Paint a picture that history will claim changed the world? This is just a part of what this play is all about." Read Full Review Alan Bresloff Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended "...An alternative to the usual holiday fare, Northlight Theatre’s wonderful production provides everything but the Christmas tree or Menorah. This play reminds audiences of what the holidays are meant to be all about: family, love and enjoying everything that life has to offer. Devon De Mayo’s whimsical, spirited production, brimming with warmth and humor, is the perfect nondenominational way to celebrate this special time of year, reminding us that everyday ought to be lived like it’s a gift from above." Read Full Review Colin Douglas Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended "..."You Can't Take It With You" shrewdly plays to the audience's dream of a life with no responsibilities (and no income tax), where everyone can do their own thing without hurting anyone else. In that sense the comedy is a fairy tale. Whether or not it's relevant today resides in the eye and ear of the beholder. Martin Vanderhoff's message may be dismissed as pleasant, wishful thinking. The show still remains one of the enduring works in the American theater canon and shines with particular brightness in the Northlight's spot-on production." Read Full Review Dan Zeff Comments are closed.
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