PlayMakers Rep's You Can't Take It with You Is a Warm, Whimsical Triumph
This article was published by Triangle Review on 27 November 2025.
PlayMakers Repertory Company's production of You Can't Take It with You reminds us why George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart'sPulitzer Prize-winning comedy has remained one of America's most beloved plays for nearly 90 years. Directed with verve and affectionate clarity by Nathaniel P. Claridad, this staging finds the joy, warmth, and screwball shimmer in a story that could easily collapse under its own chaos. Instead, PlayMakers offers a heartfelt, high-energy evening that revels in eccentricity while honoring the play's enduring message that happiness comes from living life on your own terms -- and loving the people who do the same.
The play is set entirely in the bustling New York home of the delightfully odd Vanderhof-Sycamore-Carmichael clan. Scenic designer Daniel Zimmerman's set is a character in its own right, providing an expansive wooden ballroom-turned-living-room, complete with a grand foyer, an ornate staircase, and five working doors that serve as the show's comedic launch pads. Anne Kennedy's 1930s costumes and Kathy Perkins' warm, bright lighting evoke both period charm and the home's persistent, slightly chaotic cheer. Derek A. Graham's sound design punctuates the evening with toe-tapping swing and jazz that keeps the energy elevated between scenes.
At the center of the family is Ray Anthony Thomas' Grandpa Martin Vanderhof, played with understated, believable warmth. His quiet insistence on pursuing joy rather than convention anchors the play's philosophy. Around him orbits a constellation of eccentrics, each brought to life by actors who clearly relish their roles. Julia Gibson's Penelope "Penny" Sycamore is the uncontested comedic highlight of the evening. Channeling a delightful hint of Jean Stapleton's Edith Bunker, Gibson infuses Penny with earnestness, buoyancy, and a lovable lack of filter. Her every entrance brightens the stage, and her melodramatic aspirations are both ridiculous and endearing.
Trevor Johnson brings genuine sincerity to Paul Sycamore, Penny's tinkering husband whose basement fireworks lab supplies explosions, both literal and theatrical. Jim Bray's Mr. De Pinna, Paul's assistant and former iceman, delivers some of the show's biggest laughs with an Italian accent that seems lovingly plucked from vintage Mario Bros. cartoons. His antics -- often wild, always committed -- never fail to delight.
Elizabeth Dye's Essie is a whirlwind of slapstick delight. Nearly always dancing (despite her lack of talent), Essie becomes a kind of human metronome for the play's rhythm. Her husband Ed, played with sweet ineptitude by Matthew Donahue, complements her well. Nate John Mark's Donald and Jadah Johnson's Rheba round out the household with sharp comedic instincts and charm.
The play's romantic center rests with Alice Sycamore, the only "normal" family member, portrayed here by Delaney Jackson. Jackson strikes a perfect balance between embarrassment and deep affection for her family, making Alice's struggle -- to reconcile her love for Tony Kirby with her fear that her family's eccentricities will cost her her happiness -- feel honest and moving. Her wardrobe, a parade of beautifully tailored 1930s businesswear, is a visual treat and beckons for a retro revival.
Reez Bailey plays the earnest young businessman Tony Kirby with a soft, endearing awkwardness -- particularly when attempting physical affection. The chemistry between Bailey and Jackson is fresh and heartfelt. Douglas S. Hall and Kathryn Hunter-Williams shine as Tony's straightlaced, upper-crust parents. Hall's Mr. Kirby, the picture of respectable dullness, is particularly effective as a foil to the Sycamores' joyous chaos.
Among the evening's memorable supporting performances is Jeffrey Blair Cornell's uproarious Boris Kolenkhov. Cornell, a >30-year PlayMakers veteran, brings the house down with his booming voice and wonderfully stereotypical Russian accent. Gwendolyn Schwinke's Duchess Olga -- once Russian nobility, now a New York waitress -- delivers an inspiring and unexpectedly touching cameo. Mengwe Wapimewah's turn as the inebriated actress Gay Wellington is equally unforgettable: delightfully debauched, she commands the stage without ever stealing focus from the ensemble.
When the Kirby’s arrive for dinner -- on the wrong night, thanks to Tony's well-intended spontaneity -- chaos erupts, fireworks misfire (literally), government agents (played by Adam Moskowitz, Caroline Marques, Trevele Morgan, and Celeste Pelletier) arrive with comic urgency; and Alice's worst fears are realized. Yet in typical Kaufman and Hart fashion, the mess gives way to revelation, understanding, and the reaffirmation of what matters most.
PlayMakers Repertory Company's You Can't Take It with You is a polished, heartfelt, and wonderfully uproarious production. The performances, expert design, and direction embrace the play's old-fashioned charm without letting it feel dusty, making for an evening that is both nostalgic and refreshingly alive. It's a celebration of eccentricity, family, laughter, and living life without taking it, or yourself, too seriously -- a perfect family outing for this long Thanksgiving weekend.
