PRESS RELEASE FROM PARKWAY PLAYHOUSE:
If you haven’t seen the play, you’ve likely heard the title. You Can’t Take it with You is perhaps one of the most widely produced and popular plays of our time. Moss Hart’s pulitzer winning play premiered on Broadway in 1936, and played for 838 performances. Parkway Playhouse is thrilled to welcome Chris Hart to the town of Burnsville to direct this acclaimed show. Hart is bringing to life what is widely considered to be one of his father’s greatest plays.
Every family has its quirks. Yet to call the Sycamore family quirky would be the equivalent of calling Usain Bolt pretty quick. This family is made up of “characters,” in every sense of the word. The patriarch of the family, Grandpa Vanderhof, is an eccentric old man who keeps snakes and has never paid his income tax. Penelope “Penny” Vanderhof Sycamore, is his daughter (a writer of adventure- and sex-filled melodrama plays), who is married to Paul Sycamore, a tinkerer who manufactures fireworks in the basement with the help of his assistant Mr. De Pinna, who used to be the family’s iceman. One of Paul and Penny’s two daughters is Essie Sycamore Carmichael, a childish candymaker who dreams of being a ballerina (but in reality is terrible at dancing). Essie is married to Ed Carmichael, a xylophone player who helps distribute Essie’s candies. Ed is an amateur printer who prints any phrase that sounds catchy. Paul and Penny’s other daughter Alice Sycamore is quite obviously the only “normal” family member. She is at odds with herself as she must introduce her fiance’s straight-laced family to her rather more eccentric one. When the wildly different families meet, the worlds of the wealthy, uptight Kirbys and the off-kilter Sycamores collide. The chaos that ensues is entertaining, thought-provoking, and will remind audiences of the things in life that matter most.
You Can’t Take it with You, is also taking part in a special event in collaboration with AMY regional libraries. “Influencing a New Generation: A Conversation with Chris Hart” will be taking place on Thursday, August 25th at 6pm at Parkway Playhouse. Theatre producer and director, Chris Hart, will interact with high school students at Parkway Playhouse, and encourage them to pursue careers in the humanities and arts. This talk will be followed by a Q and A session. Attendees will be invited to stay for the dress rehearsal taking place at Parkway immediately following this event. No ticket is needed as this event is free and open to the general public.
The production opens on August 27th, and runs through September 10th. With performances at 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 3:00pm on Sundays. Tickets are available by calling the Parkway Playhouse Box Office at 828-682-4285 or by visiting Parkway Playhouse’s website at www.parkwayplayhouse.com. Tickets range from $12 to $22 with many discounts available for students, senior citizens, active military, and groups of 10 or more.
There will be an opening night celebration with the cast and creative team of the show following the performance on August 27th. Following the Sunday afternoon performances on August 28th and September 4th, there will be a post-show discussion with the cast.
For more information about Parkway Playhouse, performances, volunteer opportunities, classes, auditions, and more please visit www.parkwayplayhouse.com, or call 828-682-
4285.
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