Clackamas Print
Photo illustration by John Shufelt Clackamas Print
r David Smith-English shares some notes on acting with the cast of “You Can’t Take it With You.’’ The set, designed by Chris Whitten and constructed
technical theater class, is reminiscent of a big, old house set in the 1930s.
ight reasons to enjoy this play
¡s come together
\ertain audiences
u Cant Take it
Vou, ’ a comedy
ttwo families
g Stoltz
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4
spring at Clackamas
unity College and that
ithe theatre department
¡ng on its final show of
¡ar, “You Can’t Take it
ou.”
in New York City and
roduced in 1936, “You
Take it With You” is
ory of the wacky and
jictious
Vanderhof-
ore family. The entire
fakes place in Grandpa
jrhof’s house, a home
If relatives, in-laws,
help and various other
|s-on. They are a free-
Id, big-hearted bunch,
Istered toward the feel-
Inut end of the candy
lectrum.
|h a huge 20-member
111 flitting and scamper-
lout for your viewing
Ire, nearly everyone can
[omething or someone to
n this production. Here
are eight specific rea-
p'hy this particular pre-
|onof“You Can’t Take
th You” is especially,
blarly - not in a vague
feneral way, but specifi-
cally — worth seeing.
8. “The family is a trip.”
So says Kelly Renée Miller,
who plays mother Penelope
Sycamore. The Sycamores
blatantly disregard society’s
rules, and seem rapturously,
infuriatingly happy because
of it. These goofy misfits
fill their house with spon
taneous dancing and music,
snake collecting, candy mak
ing, play writing, the inno
cent but ill-advised reprinting
and distribution of Bolshevik
. revolutionary propaganda and
a highly flammable manu
facturing enterprise. Gnarly,
dude!
7. You get to watch people
squirm
Artist in residence James
Sharinghousen, who plays
grandpa Vanderhof, said one
of the draws of the show is
seeing people put into an
awkward situation.
Alice
Sycamore,
Vanderhof’s younger grand
daughter, played by Madelynn
Marcotte, is the only one
in the family with a job.
During the course of the
play, she becomes engaged to
Tony Kirby, the boss’s son.
This sets up a deliciously
cringe-tastic scene where the
straight-laced Kirbys visit the
wild-and-woolly Vanderhof-
Sycamore household.
Marcotte, whose character
is caught most uncomfortably
in the middle of the may
hem, asks, “How horrified
would you be if you were
meeting your fiance’s parents
for the first time, and they
show up on the wrong night,
when there’s xylophone play
ing and dancing and portrait
painting and you’re dressed
in a horrible outfit?”
Horrifying indeed - but
not for you. Please, relax and
enjoy the spectacle.
6. Superior Russian fire
power
Michael Mitchell comes
across as a thoughtful, soft-
spoken guy. The same can
not be said for his charac
ter, Russian dance instructor
Boris Kolenkhov.
“The family
is a trip.
Kelly Renee Miller
Mother Penelope
Marcotte said she loves
Kolenkhov because he’s
hilarious, loud and bois-
terous. That, however, is a
superpower-sized understate
ment. Mitchell delivers a
high-yield, mega-fun perfor
mance. Get ready to duck and
cover.
5. Women’s wear with flair
to spare
The women’s costumes in
this production are fierce and
fabulous. “First rate” is how
director David Smith-English
describes the work of long
time Clackamas costumer
Alva Bradford. The clothes
are authentic styles from the
period 1936-1938, a time
when Bradford said women
were decked out most every
day.
Showing style and talent,
Hannah Munsey, who plays
Alice’s older sister Essie,
sewed some of her costumes
herself. Look for her wrap
around, paisley print dress
with pink ruffled collar in
Act 2. It’s 100 percent genu
ine Munsey-Wear.
Munsey said she also
absolutely loves the ador
able white dress with green
and black print that Alice
wears at the beginning of the
show. Munsey said the fab
ric is so light that it moves
with Marcotte, “wherever she
goes.” Oh my!
4. Curls gone wild
Gorgeous dresses need
scrumptious tresses, and all
the main female characters
have them. Liz Johnson,
Clackamas student and hair
designer for the show, said,
“During that time period, it
was all about the curls.”
Describing one of her
curly girly creations, Johnson
said Alice’s hairstyle is rem
iniscent of Allie’s in the
movie “The Notebook.” She
described it as a very fun,
very young, very pretty style,
and said Marcotte looks
amazing in it.
3. Pyrotechnics
For those who prefer fire
works to feminine finery, this
vintage production delivers a
real blast from the past.
Mr. De. Pinna, who inex
plicably moved into the
Vanderhof-Sycamore
fun
house years ago, spends his
days and nights in the base
ment with Mr. Sycamore
making things that go boom.
With such a huge arsenal of
explosives, it’s almost incon
ceivable that at least one
won’t go off...
2. Senior SmackDown
Don Wright, who plays Mr.
Kirby, brings the thrill of
professional wrestling to this
production as he battles Boris
“Twinkle Toes” Kolenkhov.
The 67-year-old Wright,
who also happens to be
president of the Clackamas.
Repertory Theatre board, will
electrify audiences with his
signature full-body flop onto
the Sycamore’s couch. When
asked about his foray into the
manly grappling arts, Slam
Master Wright said only, “I
hurt.”
And the number-one reason
to see “You Can’t Take it With
You” is ... Affordability.
Theatre secretary and
department “mom” Jennifer
Schwartzman speaks to the
discriminating theatergoer
when she says, “It’s cheap
entertainment.” Admission
is only $10 for students, cr
you can apply to the elite
Usher Corps (motto: Semper
Frugalis).
Ushers get in free, and get
to bring a civilian guest for
free too. If you have what it
takes (an extra hour), contact
Schwartzman by May 15 at
jens@clackamas.edu, or 503-
657-6958, ext. 2356.
“You Can’t Take it With
You” runs May 21-31,
Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30;
Sundays, at 2:30 in Niemeyer
Center. $12 general admis
sion, $10 for students/seniors
62 and over.