You Can’t Take It With You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play premiered on Broadway in 1936, won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and was later adapted for the screen, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director.
This story takes place in the home of a charmingly eccentric family known as the Sycamores. This is a home where the typical way of being is unapologetically marching to the beat of their own drum. Their hobbies include collecting snakes, building fireworks in the basement, writing a myriad of plays that never get published, and taking ballet lessons.
Written during the Great Depression, You Can’t Take It with You offered a form of rebellion by presenting an alternative vision of happiness and success, one that prioritized human connection, personal fulfillment, and a rejection of materialistic values, which were all at odds with the prevailing societal pressures of the Great Depression.
As Grandma says, “You can’t take it with you.”
We are so proud of this cast and crew. Not only did they give their time and energy into putting up an entire show in only a few days, they also did it by taking a note from the Sycamores – challenging the status quo and following their passion for the arts – all the while adding their own humor, creativity, and joy throughout. What a gift!
We encourage you to take this time in the theatre to live in the moment, laugh unapologetically, and perhaps take a moment to reflect on the way home. We hope you enjoy.
Jana, Andrew, Molly, Becky
