You Can’t Take It With You

December 9, 2019

A wonderful play filled with subtle humor, intense action, and heart-stopping tension,‘You Can’t Take It With You’ is a thrilling comedy in three acts. Written by Moss Hart and Geroge S. Kaufman in 1936, the play is a popular classic among high schools. Presented by the International Christian School High School Drama Production, the play’s comedic plot and intricate themes, coupled with the thrilling acting by the cast, made the show highly enjoyable. 

The whole story takes place in a large family house owned by Grandpa Vanderhof. He lives with his daughter Penelope Sycamore, who is married to Paul Sycamore, and her family, which includes Alice and Essie (Penelope’s daughters) and Essie’s husband, (Ed Carmichael). The housemaid, Rheba, and Paul’s assistant, Mr. De Pinna, both live in the house as well. The family is wacky with each person having their own dreams and passion. Penelope wants to become a successful playwright. Essie wants to become a famous ballerina, and Grandpa Vanderhof enjoys raising snakes. Although the family is poor, they all love each other and have found happiness. All except one: Alice. Alice is engaged to Tony Kirby, and although they both love each other dearly, the families are polar opposites. The Kirbies are high-class businessmen and are deemed proper while Alice’s family is poor and is rather eccentric. Alice is embarrassed about her family, and the plot centers around Alice and her family trying to get the Kirbies’ approval and the tensions that come with it. All the while, the interactions between the conservative family (Kirbies) and the unconventional family brings about strong humor. One example of this would be the free association game played by Mister and Missus Kirby. 

While the plot is certainly entertaining, it is the complex themes in the story that makes the play memorable. One of the main themes is the comparison between the life we want to live and the life we have to live. Although Mr. Kirby is a wealthy man, he is not happy because he is unsatisfied with having to do mundane business work every day. On the other hand, Grandpa Vanderhof who has a very small income is living the life of his dreams ever since he gave up his job 35 years ago. His motto of “don’t do anything you are not going to enjoy” forces the audience to reflect on their personal lives and whether they are truly happy. In addition, it also raises a question about whether money truly leads to happiness. Clearly, through the play, both Hart and Kaufman argue that money does not lead to happiness, but it actually comes from being able to have a loving relationship within a family and being able to pursue an individual passion. This is most evident when comparing Vanderhof’s household to  Kirby’s. Everyone in Vanderhof’s family is living a blissful life and the two similarities between each family member are that they love one another and that they all have the freedom to do what they love most. On the other hand, the Kirbys are not as joyful. This is due to the disjointed relationship within the family and the fact that both Mr. Kirby and his son are not able to do what they love.  

A play with strong themes and a great storyline is important, but it is the actors that bring everything alive. Every member of the cast did a fantastic job. Not only were they able to fully display the emotions of every character, but they were also able to improvise flawlessly when mistakes were made. It only came to my attention afterward that Paul should have failed to light the fire once, not both times. However, all the actors were able to play along like it was all planned. As a result, throughout the entirety of the play, I was under the assumption that the fireworks were not going to work. Therefore, when there were sudden explosions at the end of Act 2 that resemble fireworks, it became an even more hilarious moment as I thought that the fireworks had finally gone off but at the worst timing possible.   The only suggestion I have is to play the xylophone with more alternating strokes and choose proper xylophone mallets. As a percussionist, that was something that constantly distracted me.

Overall, ‘You Can’t Take It With You’ presented by International Christian School High School Drama Production was definitely a very entertaining play due to the humorous plot, powerful themes, and exceptional acting.

Click HERE for the writing process!

Reflection: There is not much for me to say except that the play was excellent. As a result, it was easy for me to come up with ideas for the review. The play really reminded me of the family tension that is so common even in households today. It was fascinating to see that despite the play being around ninety years old, its themes are still relevant today.