YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU Opens This Weekend At Long Beach Playhouse

George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart are legends in the theater world. Among their many hit shows, You Can't Take it with You has the distinction of winning a Pulitzer Price and being one of the most frequently produced shows of the 20th Century.

Written in 1937, the plot is centered on two very different families whose children, Alice and Tony, are recently engaged. Alice's family is a group of multi-generational eccentrics sharing a large house near Columbia University. Grandpa Vanderhof is the family patriarch. Alice, his granddaughter, works in a bank and finds her zany family embarrassing. She met her fiancée, Tony Kirby, at the bank where he works for his conservative father. Alice's family invites Tony's family to come for dinner so they can get to know one another. Disaster ensues when the Kirbys arrive at the wrong time and, despite the best laid plans, see Alice's family in all of its crazy glory.

"Everything about this show is funny," said Sean Gray, Artistic Director for the Playhouse. "And not surprisingly, as the story unfolds, it's revealed that the stodgy Kirby parents are less uptight than they appear and have their own secrets and quirks."

Executive Director, Madison Mooney, said, "I don't want to give too much away because the show is hilarious. But I will say my favorite scene is when they decide to play a word association game. The responses to words like lust and honeymoon will keep them laughing even after they're in the cars on their way home."

Long Beach Playhouse veteran, Mitchell Nunn, is directing the show. Nunn has appeared in several shows at the Playhouse and this is his ninth time in the director's chair.

The 17-member cast is a mix of returning actors and others making their Playhouse debut. Debuting actors are: John Sturgeon, Natalie Kathleen, Hayden Maher, Giovanni Navarro, Mark Carlin, Frank Valdez, Ted Burke, Rudy Perez, and Indiana Jones DeLaO. Returning actors are: Tree Henson, Todd Rew, Lyndsay Palmer, Carl daSilva, Jill Prout, Robb Tracy, Allison McGuire and Geraldine E. Fuentes.

Mooney closed by saying, "This show is what we all need. It's funny, it's touching, and it reminds us that love and family are such important things in life."

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The show opens April 9 and runs through May 7, 2022.

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY:

· Pay what you can Thursday April 7 - community can see this production for whatever they can afford

· Friday Two-for-One April 8 All Tickets $10

· Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on April 9 - Tickets are $27.00 Sponsored by The Port of Long Beach

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.

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