by Alex Brooks
Hubbard Hall has opened a new production of You Can’t Take It With You, the 1937 screwball comedy about an eccentric family led by a dropout from the business world who preaches exiting the rat race and doing pretty much as you please.
This production, though it offers nothing particularly original or inspired, is nevertheless great fun. Court Dorsey as Grandpa has a winning manner and an imperturbable geniality that goes a long way toward setting the right mood for the play. Christine Decker has some great moments as the uptight Mr. Kirby, although his transformation at the end under Grandpa’s tutelage is a bit abrupt. Chris Barlow is consistently entertaining as the enormous Russian dance teacher, and Myka Plunkett does a fine job as the romantic lead.
There is perhaps a bit too much coming and going and not quite enough compelling moments, but the play is a classic, and its accumulating hilarity kind of grows on you. A bit of this anti-rat race, anti-materialist thinking will do a person good in this high-stress world, and a few laughs will as well. An evening spent at this show is sure to be a pleasant one.
Shows are Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm through November and Sundays at 2 pm, closing after the show on Sunday, November 25. Tickets are available online at www.hubbardhall.org, or by calling the box office at 518-677-2495.