You Can't Take It with You -- by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman (1937)

Description

Do you want a senseless trivia fact? There are seven plays with an apostrophe in the title. Yup, I counted. I was curious; I knew the task would take less than a minute. Now I know. Sleep will come easy tonight.

Anyways, Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's play has proven to be quite a bang . . . pun . . . intended . . .

Playbill.com summarizes the play like this: "An eccentric family allows each member to pursue his own ambition in the home, but their routine is disrupted when a daughter with a regular job wants to bring her fiancé and his Wall Street family to dinner in George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy."

One of the pursuits is the creation of firework/dynamite sets. Family members test these fireworks in the house. And that is not the most definitively uproarious part of the play (except for, maybe it is . . .). The Sycamore family is an odd family with lovable quirks. The mother, Penelope, writes plays after being randomly delivered a typewriter--no subject is too daunting or obscure to phase her. The father, Paul Sycamore, works tirelessly with his assistant Mr. De Pinna to create the best fireworks displays. One of their daughters, Essie, passionately practices her dancing skills under the direction of Mr. Boris Kolenkhov, a stereotypical Russian, and to the accompaniment of her husband Ed's xylophone. The grandfather, the clear patriarch, boasts of his never having paid income tax. Alice is the straight-woman of the Sycamore family and is slightly terrified to introduce her fiance Tony to them. 

The plot is rather straightforward: how can Tony and his family accept Alice and her family? The goings-on in the Sycamore household provides for a good, old-fashioned, laugh-out-loud hour-and-a-half. 

Watch a fun montage of hilarious moments here. Watch the cast from the 2015 revival describe the characters here.

Candid Reactions

• The writers set such a nonchalant, humorous tone immediately from the stage directions. How does this translate to the actors and audience if it is not acknowledged uniformly?
• There are endless wonderful one-liners in this play. 
• Grandpa's complaint after Alice directs the family one what is permissible during her fiance's visit is hilarious: "Can't do anything" (32). She just listed the most obscure embarrassing actions to occur, but these are commonplace to the family. For him to act like they can't do anything is just funny!
• The governmental commentary on fearing "foreigners" echoes many mindsets voiced today, scarily (42). 
• Funny stage directions are always appreciated.
• I wonder how many prayers appear in Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas. There are two in this play, and that stood out to me. 
• Was there icebox really filled with cornflakes? (61)
• Some of the writing verges on melodramatic. 
• The game in the second act of the play is an easy way to develop character and cause tension. 
• The stage directions paint such vivid images!
•  Mr. Kirby asserts that Grandpa's philosophy is "un-American" (195). How interesting given that the Pulitzer Prize is awarded to American work reflecting American life!

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning

1. Humor

Simply, the play is funny. Kaufman and Hart pen eccentric individuals who form a cohesive unit. America is just that: a mix of individuals who have their own unique quirks, but somehow find a way to make things work. The characters are not precisely stereotypes or caricatures, but full-fleshed oddballs.

2. The Reconsideration of the American Dream

The moral of the play goes against every bit of the American Dream, and yet the audience finds an extreme relief in the message. How absolutely stunning is that? It is counter-cultural, but the culture supports it.

Classroom Implications

I'm not entirely sure how I would focus this play, but I believe it could be used as young as middle school, for the plot is simple, the humor is accessible, and the dialogue is clear. It could be provocative to pair this text with, say, The Great Gatsby! Some wonderful compare/contrast essays on theme or character analysis could be yielded from that. 

Personal Takeaway

Some plays are richer in analyzing critically than in enjoying while reading/watching.  

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 6.25
0	Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character	Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity	Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping	Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story	Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1	Not consistently realistic (1.5)	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity (1.5)	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1)	Devices somewhat enhance story  (1)	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1.25)
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically