Submitted by Gus Woods of the Montgomery Blair High School CAPPIES Theatre Review Group

Comic absurdity, jovial chaos, tender love stories and loud explosions come together in George S. Kaufman’s and Moss Hart’s You Can’t Take It With You to form a delightfully silly escapist comedy. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes High School’s production of the play was true to the comedy's feel good spirit, explosions and fireworks included.

Giggle inducing from the start, You Can’t Take It With You shows what happens when two people hailing from completely different families fall in love and draw their kin inexorably closer. Alice (Natalie Kauppi) comes from a wacky group of people sparkling with spontaneous acts of insanity. Her fiancé, Tony Kirby (Julian Wamble), has ultra-conservative parents. Watching these two polarized communities duel and eventually come together temporarily relieved Depression-era Americans of their daily troubles. The comedy still enchants contemporary audiences, not necessarily worry free, who still wish to take the play’s happiness back home with them.

St Stephen's & St. Agnes was challenged with maintaining order on stage while making it appear as if the setting was in constant chaos. Several outstanding leading performers gave the play the solid comedic timing and delivery it needed. Molly Millard conveyed nearly flawlessly Penny Sycamore’s obsessive passions, scrambled assertiveness and frenetic decision making through her proficiency in facial expressions, timing and physical comedy. Pat Kane also gave old Martin Vanderhof’s character a whimsical air that suited the role well.

Two comic performers also stood out. Chris Luggiero gave the Russian ideologue, Boris Kolenkhov, the boisterous yet charming pride that the character required amongst so many silly personalities. Emily Sellon’s physical and facial comedic skills made her portrayal of the drunk Gay Wellington hilarious.

The detailed set had everything the cast needed for the script plus extra objects for additional gags and decorations. The set was also spaced and proportioned well; no scenes seemed unintentionally overcrowded. Although the lighting and sound were generally satisfactory, the microphone battery packs were often very noticeable and at one point the lights revealed the actors shifting props during a transition between scenes. The performances were strong enough to prevent those mishaps and oversights from being overly distracting.

The cast seemed to have fun and the stage was radiant with lighthearted gaiety. Kaufman and Hart’s play will always be fun and carefree, but sadly for audiences, as Martin Vanderhof says to Mr. Kirby, “You Can’t Take It with You.”