Mask & Mirror Community Theatre will continue its Diamond Anniversary 15th Main Stage season with 1937’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning romantic comedy by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart: You Can’t Take It With You. Directed by Kraig Williams, the classic farce will take place on The Main Stage at Rise Church, 10445 Canterbury Lane, Tigard, May 1 – May 17. Performance times for the three weekends are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays.
First performed in 1936, the play features the eccentric, free-spirited Sycamore family, whose unconventional lifestyle clashes with Wall Street’s rigidly conservative world when their daughter falls in love with a businessman. When Alice brings her conservative fiancé, Tony, home for a family dinner party, chaos ensues. Known for its farcical humor, the play also features fireworks, a pet snake, and a variety of quirky characters, all centered around the patriarch who believes in living life on one’s own terms.
Contrasting the pursuit of money with the pursuit of happiness, the metaphorical play emphasizes that one cannot take material wealth with them when they die.
Williams’ seasoned cast bringing this madcap comedy to life stars Chuck Weed as the head-of-the-family Martin Vanderhof (Grandpa) and Gwen Zellmer as his daughter, good-natured but harebrained Penelope Sycamore. David Eisenberg plays Penny’s can’t-sit-still husband, Paul Sycamore; Lisa Lindman, their perpetually dancing daughter, Essie, married to the ADHD-prone Ed Carmichael, played by Gnyanesh Trivedi; and Katie Souza, their charmingly normal daughter, Alice, who is engaged to her Yale-educated nepo-baby boss, Tony Kirby, played by Brant McKinney. Tony’s socially bigoted mother, Miriam Kirby, is played by Debra Blake, and his stressed-and-greedy financier father, Anthony Kirby, is played by Michael Rouches. Kira Smolev plays the loyal quirk-tolerant Sycamore maid Rheba, who is in love with the amiable unemployed Donald, played by Chrispy Jones. Rounding out the cast of diverse characters are the bewildered IRS man Wilbur Henderson, played by Peter Bolger, the washed-up alcoholic actress Gay Wellington, played by Tracey Grant, the over-the-top now-fallen Grand Duchess Olga Katrina, played by AJ Graham, Essie’s unskilled ballet instructor Boris Kolenkov, played by Peter Brown, and the friend-of-the-family iceman-who-cometh-and-stayeth Mr. De Pinna played by Dennis Reilly. The G-men will be played by Peter Bolger (Lead), Huy Doan (Jim), and Jewels Williams (Mac).
No play can be produced without support behind the scenes. Williams’ experienced crew includes Sophia Caruso as Assistant Director, John Knowles as Production Manager, Jodi Johnson as Stage Manager and Costumer, Kraig Williams and Sophia Caruso as Set Design, Cindy Zimmerman as Set Dresser, Sophie Duntley as Box Office, and John Knowles, John Bartholomew, Peter Bolger and others as Set Construction. Janet Vanoni will be Prop Mistress, and Steve Hotaling will be Light/Sound Design/Operator. Katarina Carrico will be Stage Crew/Posters, and Emily Nakamura will be Stage Crew/Media. John Knowles and his son Ian Knowles will compile the program, and Virginia Kincaid will edit it.
Williams enthusiastically states, “I last directed You Can’t Take It With You in 2017, and it was certainly an event to remember. That is why I was excited to be asked to direct it again for Mask & Mirror for their 2025/2026 season. A tremendous pool of talent came out to auditions for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful show. Assistant Director Sophia Caruso and I are confident we have put together an incredible cast. This show has something for everyone, and it’ll be an experience that the cast, crew and audiences alike will enjoy. We are all very excited to bring this wonderfully fun, wacky and heartfelt production to Mask & Mirror audiences.”
Mask & Mirror Community Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit performing company. Your support is very much appreciated. Additional information can be obtained by visiting www.maskandmirror.com.
