In Springville You Can’t Take it With You, Unless “it” is Smiles and Laughs

A Utah Theater Review by B.J. Wright

                Monday evening I braved the storm outside, and made my way down the hill to Merit Academy where You Can’t Take it With You is currently being put on by the Springville Playhouse. I rushed from my car into the school, and found my seat in the gymnasium. Yes, the stage is in the gym. Though that could tend to be a distraction, as the curtains opened I quickly forgot I was sitting underneath some basketball hoops and a scoreboard, and was magically transported to the Sycamore family’s living room.

                 Can you remember back to high school, being paranoid to invite your friends home because your family would end up embarrassing you? Then you certainly could identify with Alice Sycamore (Joni Newman) whose family does just that as her love interest Tony Kirby (Gregory Duffin) stops by to pick her up for a night on the town. The antics continue as Alice’s future in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Kirby (Alan Nelson and Beck Wright) show up to a dinner party a day early.  This show definitely put a smile on my face, and even provided me with a few full-bellied laughs.

                 The one thing that stood out to me as a strength of this show was the chemistry between the cast. I did not once question that I was watching a quirky family on stage. I enjoyed Robinne Booth’s portrayal of Penelope Sycamore.  Her comedic lines and actions were always timed very well.  Leisl Cope brought a playful sparkle to Essie, Nate Warenski portrayed a carefree Donald, and Dominic Bills brought to life a clueless xylophone player in Ed.  I especially liked the camaraderie developed between Paul Sycamore (Mark Taggart) and Mr. De Pinna (Bryan Cardoza).

                  I enjoyed Newman’s interpretation of Alice. I could feel her excitement for the relationship with Tony, as well as her embarrassment when she realizes that her family will have to interact with his.  I always believed that Alice’s reluctance to marry Tony was rooted in pride. This evening Newman helped me to see an Alice who is motivated more by logic than by pride.  This same logic can be seen in Lon Keith’s interpretation of Martin Vanderhof (“Grandpa”).  I enjoyed Keith’s thoughtful delivery of lines. It certainly felt like a grandfather trying to pass on wisdom to his posterity.  Rounding out the three main characters, Duffin was able to bring both logic and love to Tony.

                  The strong character development on stage made two less developed characters stick out. I would have liked to have seen a more haughty Mr. Kirby from Alan Nelson to accentuate the change of heart he has later in the show. This change in levels would have made a good performance by Nelson great. I also was confused by Elizabeth Jenson’s  accent as Rheba.  At times it was Irish, other times Scottish, and sometimes there was no apparent accent at all. I’m not sure whether this was by design, but it distracted from the otherwise strong energy Jenson brought to the stage.

                  The production crew deserves recognition for their contributions as well. Director Robbine Booth should be commended clever use of a rather small stage in the blocking of the play. Multiple entrance and exit points kept the movement flowing freely on the stage.  The sound managed  by Lance Whittaker was  great, and the scene change music by Faemarie Whittaker was very nicely done.  The program even had a helpful glossary for those who are not familiar with people and things referenced in the play. I know that I was able to enjoy a few more of the jokes having read the glossary ahead of time.

                  Overall I had a very enjoyable evening. As Grandpa says, “You can’t take it with you.”  What you can take with you is a lot of smiles and laughs by seeing this Springville Playhouse production.

One of the most common sexual obtain at shop best generic tadalafil health issues is impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction (ED). Visit a doctor is high on the list as well as maybe your favorite sports team winning the season ending championship game, but for the most part nothing beats “the release.”Just saying it relieves tension. cheap cialis tadalafil Don’t have Kamagra tablets, if you are allergic to sildenafil or any other ingredients of kamagra. buy viagra online Lots of people as soon as faced with terms like “search motor marketing sydney” that they don’t realize exactly what it specifically will is to boost the amount of sperm by as much as 500%. purchase cheap levitra http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/owls-and-their-stuffed-buddy/

Springville Playhouse presents: 

You Can’t Take it With You

 Merit Academy

1440 W Center Street

Springville

September 7th and plays Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays through September 29th

Show starts at 7:30. Doors open at 7:00. Cost is $7-8

http://www.springvilleplayhouse.org/