A Personal Critique of You Cant Take It with You, a Play by A. D. Players

On Thursday of May 4th, 2017, I attended a preview performance of the classic play "You Can't Take It with You" at the "Jeannette and L.M. George Theatre”. The presentation itself was produced by the "A.D. Players" of Houston, Texas. I went to the evening performance at 7:30 P.M. and I found the venue extremely delightful and aesthetically pleasing. This performance was a private screening, so not that many individuals knew about this showing. However, the crowd in the audience was at a moderately large capacity with a head count of forty-seven people. There was a wide variety of people that attended the performance, including individuals formally and informally dressed. Overall, the crowd appeared to be comfortable and well- adjusted to the scenery and venue.

The original performance of "You Can't Take It with You" premiered on Broadway in 1936. The play was written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart as a three-act comedic performance. Several topics were introduced during this production such as morality, wealth and passion. This play was written during the "Great Depression" and several of these previously stated topics were explained through that social perspective. Perhaps the largest and most important concept of “You Can't Take It with You" was that "Love" should be the most important thing to a person. After watching the performance for myself, I understand that “Love” is the most important concept of the play and the Authors successfully conveyed their ideas.

The original production of "You Can't Take It with You" took place in the 1930's. However, the production I attended added a few modern elements to the scenery. Still, these added elements did not take away from the actual setting that the original directors formed. The collection of hand props and furniture worked together to provide a successful transformation into the world of "You Can't Take It with You". The stage itself was designed almost perfectly and provided a large amount of transition space. The purpose of the stage was to create a two- story house in the same amount of space of a studio apartment. Overall, the fluidity of the set was extremely visible and well-constructed.

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The lighting elements of "You Can't Take It with You" were elaborate and creative. Yet at the same time, they were simple and introduced subtly without drawing to much attention. During the play, the use of dim lighting provided a sense of romance and lust between the two main characters. Another example of these lighting elements would be in the fire crackers used by the cast during the performance of "You Can't Take It with You". Large flashes of red and blue light could be seen despite the absence of fire. The lighting director used their resources accordingly and provided the show with an appropriate setting.

Generally speaking, the costumes used in the play "You Can't Take It with You" were incredibly average. In this case, average is a desirable concept for clothing in the 1930's. Each garment used appeared to be genuine to the original setting of the play. In fact, the suits used by the male characters had several visible classic elements. The dresses on the women were mildly conservative and well printed. The costume designer understood the vision of the original authors of "You Can't Take It with You". I was thoroughly impressed with the accurate costume design.

Because the production of "You Can't Take It with You" was a stage production, most of the external elements outside of the stage could not be seen. However, these external elements could still be heard by using the appropriate sound effects. An example of these sound effects would be the "Fireworks" sound effect in the play "You Can't Take It with You". Another would be the xylophone used on stage to provide a more whimsical and authentic mood. On the contrary, several of the songs used in this production were not specific to the time period of the play. Essentially, the sound director captured the sound elements of the play at precise moments.

The casting director did a phenomenal job at selecting the appropriate cast members for the production of "You Can't Take It with You". All of the actors provided the audience with an authentic sense of imagination. It was difficult to recognize any dull moments that occurred during the production. Yet the final scene was truly eventful and the emotions and attitudes of the characters could not be ignored.

I attended this show not knowing what to expect and I left the show completely shocked by how well presented this show was. When attending the performance of "You Can't Take It with You", I was far from disappointed. The acting was incredible and it truly was rehearsed at a professional level. During the show, I learned how enjoyable a performance could be and I would ask the director about his production methods. The play "You Can't Take It with You" was beautifully written and this production was performed with even more eloquence.

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