Oak Park Newspaper

Free Readers Ensemble

Wm. B. Sullivan Realty & Co.
Estate Planning and General Law

RAVINIA
"A Great time in a
Wonderful Place" SJC

Adopt a Pet, Come for a Visit

CAGIS Archaeological
Consulting Services

"You Can't Take It With You"
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
directed by Jack Hickey
"A Zany whacked out extended family of warm hearted misfits will entertain you and perhaps offer a new view of life. Just like some Oak Park block parties... Highly recommended.."
Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
review by Ed Vincent

Soon after the stage comes to life we find Dad with a charred face, having had a fire cracker explode too close to his mouth, Grandpa with a smile, and his grandson in law playing the xylophone so his grand daughter can prance about the room with learned feet-she's been studying dance for almost a decade.

Mad capped mayhem with an isotope of insanity thrown in just to balance the alchemy of drama. A cadre of quirky characters
soon come to life on the stage of transitions with humor and
heart. The play was a Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy and opened on December 14, 1936. Two years later it came to the
people as a film by the same name, by Frank Capra and featured top notched stars of the time-and legends in ours.

Jack Hickey directs this treasure of the stage and uses talent from his many local productions, as well as some new faces.
We don't see Jack on stage, and that comes with regrets, but
his cast of great able folks, does a wonderful job with the
script.

Paul Tinsley as Martin Vanderhof (Grandpa) does a nice job
of a serene Socratic thinker blended with a wee bit of Aristotle and the calm of a Zen master. The plot is Kafkaesque with
the laughs of a hundred clowns.

Zoe Palko, playing the role Essie Carmichael, was a visual treat in her danced portrayal of dim witted student of an artiste of
the feet, who also makes candy. Ms. Palko's work could easily grace any production of the Monty Python's Flying Circus, in its' heyday.

Bryan Wakefield as Tony Kirby plays well opposite Jhenai Mootz as Alice Sycamore. The two have a good chemistry
and their roles are acted with convincing portrayals amidst
the mental ward of the Sycamore home.

The cast seems as large as many a graduating class and the
mix of characters is phenomenal, with great acting going to
all the performers.

Highly recommended.............

Characters and Plot Outline

Some Scenes of the Play from
a 1938 Film by Capra below.

A 10 minute scene from the Frank Capra movie in 1938

Big Rat with Hair in Restaurant featuring James Stewart and Jean Arthur

Pensive Moment with GrandPa, played
by Lionel Barrymore

"YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU" KICKS OFF THE 09-10 SEASON OF AMERICAN CLASSICS FOR VILLAGE PLAYERS THEATER

(OAK PARK)"You Can't Take It With You", written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, is the first show from Village Players Theater's "New American Classics" Main Stage Series in the 2009-2010 Season. This hilarious comedy on family is directed by
Jack Hickey, Oak Park Festival Theatre's Artistic Director.
The show runs from October 17th to November 22nd 2009.

Can your in-laws top the Sycamores? This family is excited to hear of daughter Alice's engagement to Wall Street heir Tony Kirby. However, Alice doesn't want to introduce Tony to her mother's bad plays, her father's hand-made fireworks, and her sister's horrible ballerina skills. As the two families get to know each other over dinner, disaster ensues causing Alice and Tony's engagement to be on the rocks. Can the ordinary and dull Kirbys learn to love the extraordinarily bizarre Sycamores? "You Can't Take It With You" is an uproarious tale of love and strange circumstances that shows why family is so important in this fast moving country.

The cast includes Courtney Boxwell, Anthony Collaro, Eric Cowgill, Ronaldo Coxson, Elana Elyce, Errol McLendon, Jeff McVann, Michael M. Jones, Judith Laughlin, Katherine Keberlin, Jhenai Mootz, Zoe Palko, Paul Tinsley, James Turano, Bryan Wakefield, and Josh Wintersteen. The design team includes Jessica Harpenau (lighting), John List (sound), Ricky Lurie (costume), Lori Mages (props) and Annette Vargas (scenic). Michelle Spring is the stage manager.

"You Can't Take It With You" is the first show in Village Player Theater's "New American Classics" series. It is followed by Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" directed by Brian Rabinowitz (Jan 15--Feb 28, 2010), where two brothers learn to live with their seemingly uncaring and strict grandmother. Following that is the Pulitzer Prize winning musical "A Chorus Line" by Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, which is directed by Tim Grover (Mar 12--Apr 25, 2010). Watch a dance audition turn into a whirlwind of confession and self discovery. The season will end with Christopher Durang's comedy "The Marriage of Bette and Boo" directed by Village Players' Artistic Director Dan Taube (May 7--June 27, 2010). The only son of a divorced couple looks back to see what went wrong between his parents during their marriage, and what finally went right.

"You Can't Take It With You" Opens Saturday, October 17th at 8:00 p.m, and runs until Sunday, November 22nd, 2009. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $25, seniors 65 and over and students with a valid I.D. are $20. Group rates are available for parties of six or more. All performances will be found at the Village Players Performing Arts Center, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. The theater is near the Harlem exit of I-290 and is also accessible by the CTA Green and Blue lines. Plenty of parking is available on the street. The theater is handicapped accessible but please do call ahead to arrange for special seating.
You can find more information by calling 866-764-1010 or visiting www.village-players.org.

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About Village Players:

Village Players Theater, a non-profit organization founded in 1961, promotes the arts through theatrical productions and educational programs that encourage cultural understanding and embrace diversity in the Village of Oak Park and the surrounding communities. With this strong foundation Village Players Theater plans on expanding the definition of the New American Classic to Oak Park, Chicago, and all the surrounding communities. Village Players Theater is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the West Suburban Theatre Connection.