I didn’t know what to expect when entering the auditorium for You Can’t Take It with You. I was immediately fascinated by the elaborate set and music from the 1930s playing as people made their way to their seats.

The show immediately grabbed my attention. As the lights went up, I was sure this show had a lot in store. The play opens with Alaina Milukas as Penny, a loving wife and mother looks out for the family, typing away random and never finished plays. The show follows the entire Vanderhof/Sycamore/Carmichael family as each character is introduced and their quirks are showcased.

The patriarch of the family Grandpa Vanderhof, played by James Angelopoulos, does a excellent job of representing the atypical family. He decided one day he did not want to work anymore and simply stopped, and has been enjoying life and keeping snakes ever since. James brings a lot to this character with his booming voice and great comedic timing. Essie one of Penny’s daughters played by Kaitlyn Mangelinkx captivates every scene she enters with her erratic dancing and eccentric dialogue. Nathaniel Hillyer manages to effortlessly pull off the character Mr. Boris Kolenkhov Essie’s russian dance instructor who has been teaching Essie for years but with no avail.

The play focuses on Alice Sycamore played by Lilly McCormick who seems to be the most normal member of the family. She gets engaged to Tony Kirby played by Jonathan Dryden-Jaffe and we see their journey through trying to make Alice’s odd family get along with Tony’s pompous and practical one. Tony’s parents who are played by Matthew McKinzie and Elizabeth Dusza superbly portray the polar opposite of Alice’s family. After unsuccessfully trying to make the families connect, all hell breaks loose by the end of scene 2.

When all hope is thought to be lost things turn around in scene 3 and Mr. Kirby has a sort of epiphany resulting in the acceptance of the unusual family. Matthew does an incredible job embodying this complete turn around in his character’s morals. In the end they all sit down to eat dinner together in peace.

The play is yet another great success to add to WATERFORDrama’s ever growing collection. It was not only funny, but expressed deep emotion as well. The set, makeup, and costuming were perfectly put together to create the right atmosphere to match its time period and to match the characters’ personalities. All actors and stagehands clearly worked hard to make the show the absolute best it could be.