Charming, Feel-good Comedy Rounds out the Lyric Rep Season
W. Lee Daily as Mr. De Pinna in the Lyric Rep production of "You Can't Take it With You," now playing in Logan with three other productions presented by the Lyric Repertory Company.
The last show in repertory at the Utah State University Caine Lyric Theatre for summer 2016, You Can’t Take it With You, opens Thursday, June 30. The production is presented by USU’s Lyric Repertory Company and is directed by Lyric Rep alum Chris Klinger.
“I’m very excited to be back this summer,” Klinger said. “I would come back for anything with this company. It’s a great place to work. The Caine Lyric Theatre is inviting and always has a family atmosphere.”
Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play takes place in the New York City home of the Vanderhof-Sycamore-Carmichael clan.
“This is my first experience with this show,” Klinger said. “It’s been great because there are certain actors who have done the show before and some are even reprising their roles. I stay open to the previous ideas and they tend to bring great knowledge.”
Klinger says that you get close with your cast quickly in a comedy like this one that has such an ensemble, familial feel.
In the story, Grandpa Vanderhof, an eccentric old man, is the patriarch of the family, and the grandfather to Alice Sycamore, who falls in love with her boss, Tony Kirby. The Kirby family owns a firm on Wall Street headed by Anthony Kirby senior. The contrast between the Vanderhoff and Kirby families is at the center of the play. Vanderhof family members don’t care much for money, and would rather have fun and make memories. When Tony Kirby proposes to Alice, the families eventually meet for dinner but, unfortunately, Tony and the rest of the Kirbys show up one day before the scheduled visit. That leads to a comedic clash of classes and lifestyles.
“The story is so relevant to this day,” Klinger said. “The main theme of what’s most important in life — money and security or love and happiness — will always be a universal question. People will see a bit of their own family in these characters throughout the show. You’ll laugh, you’ll connect, and overall you’ll leave talking about your favorite moments and favorite characters in the show.”
The You Can’t Take it With You cast includes Patrick Williams (Martin Vanderhof), Leslie Brott (Penelope Sycamore), Corey Ewan (Paul Sycamore), Katie Francis (Alice Sycamore), Clarissa Boston (Essie Carmichael), Michael Francis (Ed Carmichael), Jeunée Roberts (Rheba), Anthony Othello Pratt Jr. (Donald), Max Falls (Tony Kirby), Colleen Baum (Miriam Kirby), Jim Dale (Anthony Kirby), W. Lee Daily (Mr. De Pinna), Brendan Allen (Boris Kolenkhov), Shannon Leigh Peters (Gay Wellington), Kelly McGaw (Grand Duchess Olga Katrina), Sean Peters (Wilbur C. Hendersen) and Kenny Bordieri, Christóbal Perez and Parker Burningham (G-Men).
Leslie Brott and Colleen Baum appear through the courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Opening June 30, You Can’t Take it With You runs on select dates through Aug. 4. Also part of the Lyric Rep 2016 season are Arsenic and Old Lace, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery and Singin’ in the Rain.
For more information and tickets, call 435-797-8022, see the Lyric Rep website or visit the Caine Lyric Theatre Box Office in downtown Logan at 28 West Center Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and one hour prior to curtain on show nights.
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Writer and contact: Whitney Schulte, 435-797-9203, whitney.schulte@usu.edu
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