You Can’t Take It With You opens at the Mid Ohio Valley Players

Martin Vanderhof is the patriarch of a family that could be best described as eccentric. Once a Wall Street power player, he realized he wasn’t happy and just walked away one day, and he’s done whatever he wants since.

One might wonder if Martin’s granddaughter Alice isn’t adopted, as she’s absolutely nothing like her parents or sister or grandfather. She dresses normally, has a well-paying job at a powerful Wall Street company, where she just happens to have fallen in love with the vice-president of the company, Anthony Kirby, Jr. She is understandably hesitant to introduce her beloved’s strait-laced family to her Bohemian clan. But it has to happen, so she arranges to invite them to dinner. Imagine her horror when they show up on the wrong night and she hasn’t had a chance to normalize the house or prepare her folks.

This is the hilarious situation of You Can’t Take It With You, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. Between the daft but lovable characters, crazy situations, and witty repartee, this is a delightful show to watch and the nice folks at the Mid-Ohio Valley Players have put together a wonderful cast who are clearly enjoying their parts.

David White is stellar as Martin Vanderhof, aka Grandpa. The rest of the cast is equally terrific. Ike Eastwood is sweet and witty as Penelope Sycamore. George Gaston is hilarious as her husband Paul. His sidekick, Mr. DePinna, is humorously played by Jedd Butler. Essie and Ed are played quite well by Becca Buck and Caleb Bland. Angela Shrader is simply superb as Alice, a young woman who loves her family, even if she doesn’t fully understand them or accept them for who they are. Sean Shoop’s Tony is a truly kind young man who helps his family, along with Alice, see that people don’t have to be the same to love and like each other.

This show, under the direction of JR Wells, Emily Ketelson, and Erin O’Neill, is a must watch. The show opens on Friday, April 22 at 8:00 pm, with subsequent evening performances on April 23, 29, and 30. Three matinee performances will take place at 3:00 pm on May 1. Tickets are available by going to the MOVP’s website. Tickets are also available at the box office before each performance. Get your tickets soonest. You’ll be glad you did.

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