The Antaeus Company, L.A.’s award-winning classical theater company, presents YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama over 70 years ago, but it is a timeless story of love, kindness, and living our own lives without expectations from others.
Set in Depression era New York City, we meet the loving and wacky Sycamore family, and the wealthy and conservative Kirby family. Each family gives us a decidedly different perspective on how to live life. Alice Sycamore (Lizzie Zerebko) has accepted Tony Kirby’s (Nicholas D’Agosto) marriage proposal, and the families are about to meet. Alice is coordinating the dinner for tomorrow night, when, yes, you guessed it, in walks Mr. & Mrs. Kirby, one evening sooner than expected. Every member of this large family group, plus some, is there. Well, this freaks Alice out completely and she decides that her family is just too eccentric, and that her marriage to Tony “will never happen”. Let’s set the picture here…now, this family is prone to spontaneous outbreaks of music, dance, explosions, pet snakes, and poetry, not to mention police raids, IRS questioning and more eccentricities than you can shake a stick at. So you might see why Alice would think the families are not compatible.
This is a very large and talented cast. Grandpa Vanderhof (the always wonderful Lawrence Pressman) has quit the business world to pursue what makes him happy, raising snakes and attending graduation ceremonies. Unfortunately, he hasn’t paid taxes in 30 years, and now the IRS is going after Grandpa. His daughter Penny (Julia Fletcher) writes plays, but used to paint life portraits and is married to Paul Sycamore (Paul Eiding) who spends his time “perfecting” the art of the Firework in the Sycamore’s basement. Granddaughter Essie (Kellie Matteson) only wants to dance and make chocolates. Essie’s husband Ed Carmichael (Michael Hyland) plays the xylophone and unwittingly writes “Marxist” poetry. Rheba (Karen Malina White) is the Sycamore’s housekeeper, and Donald (Larry Bates) is Rheba’s companion who also lives with the Sycamores. Mr. De Pinna (Tony Abatemarco) used to deliver ice to the Sycamores and, one day never left. He now works with Paul Sycamore in his quest for the perfect firework and poses in Greek togas for Penny’s portrait painting. Mr. and Mrs. Kirby (Josh Clark and Amelia White respectively) are the ultra conservative Wall Street-like family with very little sense of fun or humor. Boris Kolenkhov (Jacob Sidney) is Essie’s Russian dance instructor. Penny found Gay Wellington (Rhonda Aldrich) on a bus and brought her home to act in one of her plays. Wilber C. Henderson (Jeremy Shouldis) comes to the home to interrogate Grandpa regarding his IRS deficiencies. Rounding out this talented cast are Jim (David Glasser) and The G-Man (Michael McShane). Every member of this cast is wonderful and talented in their roles. I would love to see the other cast. I’m sure they are just as fantastic as this one is.
Gigi Bermingham directs a double cast production, and gives us warm and loving insight into our two disparate families, with 17 people being on the stage at one time. Wow!!! Toe-tappin’ music, a gorgeous set, a great script, great costumes and fantastic actors, all this adds up to a real treat.
The Sycamores are a family who opens their home and heart’s to one and all. They don’t judge or expect anything from anyone. The message from YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU is the same in the year 2012. Are you lucky enough to be doing exactly what you want to do with your life, or….what was expected of you? As I said before, it is a REAL treat (in the season of treats). Have fun, good laughs, and a wonderful evening of theatre in NoHo.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!
Ensemble Cast: Tony Abatemarco, Rhonda Aldrich, Ryan Vincent Anderson, John Apicella, Larry Bates, Caleb Chomer, Josh Clark, Nicholas D’Agosto, Jeff Doba, Paul Eiding, Julia Fletcher, David Glasser, Jeremy Glazer, Eve Gordon, Jeremy Guskin, Shannon Holt, Michael Hyland, Veralyn Jones, Kate Maher, Kellie Matteson, Linda Park, Lawrence Pressman, Joseph Ruskin, Ned Schmidtke, Jeremy Shouldis, Jacob Sidney, Janellen Steininger, Marcelo Tubert, John Wesley, Amelia White, Karen Malina White, Patrick Wenk-Wolff, Lizzie Zerebko.
Director: Gigi Bermingham
Scenic Design: Tom Buderwitz
Costume Design: A. Jeffrey Schoenberg
Sound Design: Jeff Gardner
Lighting Design: Jeremy Pivnick
Properties Design: Heather Ho
Stage Manager: Gil Tordjman
Assistant Stage Manager: Tro Shaw
Production Manager: Adam Meyer
Assistant Costume Designer: Jessica Olson
Master Electrician: Justin Kief
Electrician: Watson Bradshaw / Michael Hyland
Dramaturg: Christopher Breyer
Fight Choreographer: Bo Foxworth
Technical Director: R. Scott Thompson
Assistant Directors: Belen Greene / Geoffrey Wade
Carpenter: Todd Waring
Choreographer: Heather Allyn
Wardrobe: Karianne Flaathen
The Antaeus Company
5112 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 506-1983 or www.Antaeus.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AntaeusTheater
Twitter: @AntaeusTheater
Performances:
October 18 – December 9, 2012
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm; Saturdays & Sundays at 2pm
Tickets:
Opening Night performances: October 18 & 19: $34 (includes a post-show reception)
Thursday and Fridays: $30 (except Oct 18 & 19) Saturdays and Sundays: $34
