CCHS drama department to perform ‘You Can’t Take It With You’

Set in New York City in 1936, “You Can’t Take It With You” is a Pulitzer Prize winning classic story that showcases an eccentric family.

The Creston Community High School drama department brings the play to life with two performances this weekend: 7 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday, both in the CCHS auditorium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for students. The play is three acts, and popcorn will be sold during the second intermission, with all proceeds going to the CCHS drama department.

It marks the third time the play has been selected for the all-school play, with 1984 and 1999 being the other performances at Creston High School.

“Besides being a classic, it’s a challenging piece and I have four strong seniors, three of which are pursuing theatre in college,” said Laura Granger, CCHS drama director. “I thought it would be a good one to put on their resume and help showcase their talents as actors. And also, it’s a large cast. There’s 19 in the cast. I felt bad I had to turn down at least four or five students that didn’t receive parts. There’s been quite a bit of interest.”

The play revolves around the Vanderhof-Sycamore-Carmichael clan, all living together.

Grandpa Martin Vanderhof (Tyler Peters) is the patriarch of the family that includes his daughter Penny Sycamore (Rebecca Coleman), her husband Paul Sycamore (Tanner Amos) and their daughters Essie Carmichael (Riley Beard) and Alice Sycamore (Angel Stow). Also living in the family home is Essie’s husband Ed Carmichael (Gabriel Frakes).

“They all kind of have different hobbies and quirks, whether it’s painting pictures, writing plays, ballet dancing or playing xylophone,” Granger said. “Then, their youngest daughter, Alice, she’s the one who’s dating her boss’ son and they decided to get engaged. It presents a different dynamic for the family on whether or not these families will mesh.”

Granger likened the play to “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” or “The Birdcage.”

CCHS senior Jake Hitz, who plays Alice’s love interest, Tony Kirby, described it as “a comedy about two young people that are in love and their families are pretty much polar opposites.”

One of the most challenging aspects of the play, Granger said, is that it’s a period piece set in 1936. It has challenged students to think about how their characters would act in that time period, noting they had to learn about the etiquette of the time.

“I think some of the 1930s mannerisms, that’s difficult for a lot of people, including myself,” Hitz added. “It’s harder for us to act exactly that way to make it authentic.”

Another challenge for the cast and crew was finding costumes that were correct for the time period, as well as creating special effects such as finding a way to make believable fireworks offstage.

Granger said the play has humor, romance and thought-provoking dialogue. It holds relevance in today’s world, since it was written at a time when many Americans were worried about the Cold War with Russia.

Coleman, a senior planning to attend Simpson College and go into acting next year, is playing a leading part for the first time in her career at CCHS. She plays Penny Sycamore.

“She is really sweet and kind and just wants everyone to be happy,” Coleman said. “She’s the mom and she typewrites and makes plays and she paints. She’s adorable.”

Granger said rehearsals leading up to this weekend’s performances have gone well.

“They’re great kids to work with,” Granger said. “They have put in a lot of time and dedication. Luckily, a lot of the kids have stepped up and done what’s needed to be done to hopefully make this a great success.”

Coleman said working on this play has been a good experience.

“The people in it are fantastic,” she said. “Mostly the seniors because I’ve been with them for four years. Getting to share this last experience with them has been really great.”