NCT turns to comedy: ‘You Can’t Take It with You’

Friday, April 29, 2005 | 9:01 a.m.

Throw away the business suit, slide down the company ladder and follow your passions into the golden sunset.

Nevada Conservatory Theatre is presenting Moss Hart's and George S. Kaufman's 1937 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, "You Can't Take It with You," beginning tonight at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre.

This celebration of nonconformity takes place in the zany Sycamore family household, where candy equipped with leftist messages is distributed, money is not important and the "Establishment" is an unwanted burden.

The family has long abandoned its capitalistic dreams for an unapologetic pursuit of fun. The patriarch, Grandpa Vanderhof, raises snakes and refuses to pay income tax, his son makes fireworks in the basement and his wife churns out unfinished plays on a typewriter that had been mistakenly been delivered to the house eight years prior.

Meanwhile one daughter dances around the house -- an eternal ballet student (and terrible dancer) -- while her husband plays xylophone to her moves. The other daughter, the black sheep of the family, takes a job on Wall Street and falls in love with her boss's son, Tony Kirby.

When the Kirby family arrives a day too early for dinner at the Sycamore's, chaos unfolds and the situation is explosive -- literally.

The production ends the company's 2004-05 season, which included the Tony Award-winning "Proof," the sociopolitical "A Man For All Seasons," the lighthearted musical "Annie!" and Margaret Edson's look at end-of-life drama in the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Wit."

While "You Can't Take It with You" is a joyful comedy categorized under escapist theater, Bob Brewer, artistic director for the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, says its message of acceptance shouldn't be overlooked.

The play is light, but, Brewer said, "It has a mission to it. Everyone is welcome at this table. In an age where everything is divided I didn't think it could be more timely.

"The Sycamores are the most nonjudgmental family. The black maid sits at their table for dinner -- and this is the 1930s."

The production is directed by Deanna Duplechain, founding artistic director of the Nevada Theatre Company, and stars Robin Gammell of stage, film and television as Grandpa Vanderhof.

It was a topical season for NCT. While "Wit" coincided with the embattled last days of Terry Schiavo, themes from "Seasons" have been used in reference to the Patriot Act.

On selecting topical material, Brewer said, "It's almost kind of easy. Theater can't compete with the drama of life itself. But it can mirror it.

"There's so much going on today. It's hard not to find issues."

In hearing about Meryl Streep performing in a 2006 production of Bertolt Brecht's anti-war drama "Mother Courage" at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre, Brewer said he thought, "God, what a great time to do that play."

NCT's 2005-06 main-stage season begins in October with "The Gamester," a comedy about a young gambler who must choose between his love and his habit.

The rest of the season features "Carnival!" a musical on carnival life; "Inherit the Wind," which looks at the Scopes Monkey trial; "Intimate Apparel," a portrait of a black woman who creates intimate apparel for wealthy socialites at the turn of the century; and "Wait Until Dark," a thriller featuring a blind woman's struggle with a sadistic con man.

Referring to "You Can't Take It with You," Brewer said, "We called this our award-winning season. I began looking through the Pulitzer Prize list and this one caught my eye.

"It's a very, very, funny script."