Grandpa, as played by Bob Strohmayer, gets good news as Bill Jones and Marianne Hill look on.By O. T. Holen
Corn flakes, candy and watermelon are for dinner, the guy who delivered ice to the house eight years ago (and never left) is making fireworks in the basement and mysterious “Men in Black” are watching the house.
And this is just for starters.
The play, “You Can't Take It With You,” by George Kaufman and Moss Hart preformed by Fluvanna's own Persimmon Tree Players, gets even crazier.
Originally opening in New York in 1936 the Pulitzer Prize-winning play ran for 837 performances. The 1938 movie adaptation starred Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur and Lionel Barrymore and won an academy award.
Under the sparkling direction of FUMA drama teacher Beth Sherk, the Persimmon Tree Players recently delivered a delightful evening's entertainment as audiences in attendance at the old Palmyra Elementary School were treated to the antics and misadventures of the rather unconventional Vanderhof family. Set in 1930s New York, the main story line is about the collision of the decidedly different life-styles of the Vanderhof and Kirby families.
“Grandpa” Martin Vanderhof, (played by Bob Strohmayer), quit his job in a New York skyscraper over three decades ago because it “wasn't fun.” In addition to refusing to pay income tax because he “doesn't believe in it” he has spent the last 35 years visiting zoos, collecting snakes and attending college commencements (think Captain Kangaroo meets Mr. Rogers married to an upper-middle class version of Edith Bunker-“Penny,” played by Karo Carper.)
In contrast, stuffed-shirt, high-society Wall Street Financier Anthony Kirby (played by Warren Johnson) is obsessed with material success, political correctness and “proper” behavior (think Ebenezer Scrooge in a tuxedo married to a straight-laced “Lovey” Howell of Gilligan's Island-Mrs. Kirby played by Ann Small.)
Strohmayer and Johnson play nicely off each other's smooth and convincing character-portrayals-Anthony Kirby's scowling, indignant cynicism versus Grandpa's laid-back, “life-is-beautiful-if-you-just-let-it-come” philosophy.
Lovely young Alice Sycamore (played by Caitlin Pitts-think Peter Pan's Wendy meets Shakespeare's Juliet)-Martin' Vanderhof's sweet-natured and relatively “normal” granddaughter-is in love with the boss's son, “Tony” Kirby (played by Jim Campbell-think Pierce Brosnan meets a young Captain Von Trapp).
Alice's fears that the two families will clash is humiliatingly confirmed when the Kirbys unexpectedly show up for diner on the wrong night-an evening marked by the usual eccentric goings-on.
During the course of a chaotic evening the elder Mr. Kirby is embarrassed by an all-too-personal free association game pressed on him by Penny (wife of Martin), thrown to the floor by a Russian ballet instructor, harassed by a drunken actress, arrested and thrown into jail for the night by federal agents as fireworks and kegs of gun powder explode under the house.
Extraordinary and delightful performances were turned in by Gina Woodring as the ridiculous but endearing Grand Dutchess Olga, Karo Carper as scatter-brained Penny, Ann Small as the smug, self-impressed high-society matron, Mrs. Kirby and Marrianne Hill as the sweet if self-deluding Essie.
Notable also were solid and engaging performances by Bob VanDeventer, Carole Kipp, Brian Hamshar, Bob Sorenson, Stephen Krause, George Gaige and Al Martin.
Wonderful comic relief was provided by Ken Smith as the booming and opinionated Russian ballet instructor Boris Kolenkhov.
But the comic highpoints of the evening most decidedly were Bill Jones as the bumbling clown, Mr. De Pinna appearing in a Roman Toga and Page Gifford as actress Gay Wellington, a drunken lush who reduces all semblance of decorum to a hilarious shambles.