Jan. 8, 2002 – Pistarckle Theater's first production of the New Year is a classic American comedy, "You Can't Take It With You."
Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's 1936 Broadway hit play, made into Frank Capra's 1938 Oscar-winning movie after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1937, has endured on theater boards and on oldies TV channels with an appeal that spans generations, even as the story itself does.
Anyone who's a fan of "Arsenic and Old Lace," which preceded it by a few years on Broadway, and of "La Cage aux Folles," which came decades later, is all but sure to love this story about a free-spirited family of what Pistarckle producer Nikki Emerich refers to as "eccentrics."
Described in synopses as "a collection of cheerful and erratic (yet lovable) incompetents" and "a clan of frustrated artists," the family consists of patriarch Martin Vanderhof; his daughter Penelope and her husband Paul; their daughter Essie and her husband Ed; and their other daughter, Alice. While all of the others somehow manage to enjoy life and make ends meet without holding down a coventional job, Alice, a Wall Street office worker, is noticeably normal. And so, of course, she falls in love and gets engaged — to the ideal man, the boss's son.
While Alice is mortified by her family members, her fiance, Tony, finds them actually pretty neat. But even he know that winning the approval of his straight-laced parents is another matter. The high point of the play is a dinner party planned by the clan for their prospective in-laws. Things go awry from the moment Tony and his folks arrive — a night earlier than expected.
In considering works for production this season, "the board liked it a lot," Emerich says of the play. "It is an American classic, it's suitable for families and, in retrosepct, it's a wonderful choice after Sept. 11 — you really can't take it with you."
Essentially, the play is about accepting differences and seeing beyond prejudices. While the title phrase traditionally has to do with money, it also can have to do with time.
Pistarckle's production keeps the setting in New York in the 1930s and features Scott Joplin music and "great sound effects," Emerich says. Among them expect some fireworks — literally, as two of the characters are into conducting pyrotechnic tests in the basement of their home.
To direct the production, Pistackle has brought in Marvin-Joe Merck from the Atlanta area. "He was referred to us by Pam Sullivan, our set designer, who comes from the same area and has worked with him a lot," Emerich says.
The cast of 18 includes Scottie Brower — who made his local debut last fall in Pistarckle's three-actor hit "The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged)" — as Vanderhof, Priscilla Hintz as Alice, and Wilbur Carter as Tony.
The opening performance on Thursday, Jan. 17, is Pistarckle's traditional "Pay as You Can Night," where the cost of getting in is whatever you can come up with. (This is a week later than the opening date of Jan. 10 announced earlier, Emerich points out.)
Friday, Jan. 18, will be the champagne opening. Performances will span four weeks, continuing Thursday and Friday, Jan. 24-25; Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 2; and Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 7-9. Those attending the final performance are invited to a "closing night dessert party" with the cast and crew.
General admission tickets are $15 in advance and $19 at the door. There are discounts for students ($10 for singles or $5 each for groups of 10 more) and for school faculty and staff with I.D. ($12). Tickets are being sold at the American Yacht Harbor office, Bumpa's on the Waterfront, the Draughting Shaft, East End Secretarial Services, Flagship in Yacht Haven Marina, Marina Market and Tillett Gallery; charge card purchases also can be arranged by calling the Pistarckle office, 775-7877.
Pistarckle Theater is located in Tillett Gardens.
