Mira Costa Drama Department production of “You Can’t Take it With You” excels

By Isaac Siegemund-Broka
Staff Writer

Every family has its quirks. In the Mira Costa Drama Department’s new production of “You Can’t Take It With You,” the young cast does an exceptional job of playing up the peculiarities of a New York family with a few more oddities than most.

“You Can’t Take It With You,” written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, opened in Manhattan in late 1836. This comedic production went on to win the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Mira Costa is performing the play utilizing a double cast. The actors listed in the following review are in the Hart cast, one of the two casts of high school performers. ΩA

The play follows three eccentric families (the Vanderhofs, the Sycamores, and the Carmichaels) living together in suburban New York. Each member of the family has his or her own oddities, which the Mira Costa actors illuminated with charm and believability.

Due to Grandpa Vanderhof’s refusal to pay income tax and Alice Sycamore’s love affair with Tony Kirby, the son of a stiff and traditional business executive, the clan runs into a series of problems. While the peculiar family seems crazy at first, the juxtaposition of their blissfully quirky lifestyle with the dull unhappy one of the Kirbys gradually proves that perhaps happiness is more important than money or status.

Grandpa Vanderhof, played by Buster Baer, is the nucleus of the family. Baer captures Grandpa’s patriarchal wit and wisdom with a friendly confidence in his tone and temperament, and is easily one of the highpoints of the production.

Penny Vanderhof Sycamore (Delphi Borich) seems to enjoy failing as both an artist and a playwright while her husband, Paul Sycamore (Ron Yadin), illegally manufactures fireworks and plays with erector sets. Borich and Yadin are sincere and warm without any artificiality.

April Barajas and David Bernal effectively bring out the eccentricities of their respective characters, candy-making dancer Essie Sycamore Carmichael and xylophone-player Ed Carmichael. These two are particularly fun to watch their constant yet believable delight in childhood merriment.

The sweet romantic Alice Sycamore (Meg Luthringer) stands out as the only relatively normal member of the family. Luthringer delicately stressed the inner struggle of Alice, who loves both her crazy family and Tony Kirby

Matt Sena brilliantly captures the desperation of Tony Kirby to satisfy both Alice and his successful but unhappy parents. Ari Howorth and Gracie Markland play the Kirby parents with sophisticated rigidity, helping to provide insight into the character of Tony.

Finally, Duncan Gregory plays Boris Kolenkhov just as any obnoxious Russian must be portrayed: with passionate gusto. Gregory’s performances of the zealous ballet teacher is humorous and zesty, rounding out the motley crew of “You Can’t Take It With You.”

The writing of “You Can’t Take It With You” is charmingly imaginative and humorous, although it gives way to an excess of silliness at times. Nonetheless, Grandpa’s worldly musings and the interplay of family relations make the play both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Due to a combination of witty intelligent writing and impressive student acting ability, the Mira Costa Drama Department’s production of “You Can’t Take It With You” could not be called anything but a success. The Hart cast will be presenting its final performance tonight at 7:30 at the Mira Costa Auditorium.