He plays the grandpa of a crazy family, a grandpa who won't pay his taxes in "You Can't Take It With You."
And although I generally resist seeing community theater in dress rehearsal, I agreed to go to this one because it lent sort of a train-wreck appeal.
The entire cast has been off most of the week and two leading characters were still gone.
The director had gamely decided to go ahead with a split rehearsal on General Conference Saturday and put the show on with only MOST of the cast present. (Alice and Mr. Kirby were both out of town and trying frantically to get back in time.)
I didn't see how I could miss this.
It started at 8:30 p.m. after the priesthood session of conference and it was free since it wasn't really ready for an audience.
I went with reservations, chuckled when the director explained the situation and said we could all get our money back if we were unhappy with the performance.I waited for a disaster.
However, I was pleasantly surprised.
The show is a classic and the dialogue holds up well even after, what, 60-odd years?
The characters were funny, warm, and the timing — despite having to rely on someone off-stage to read the missing Mr. Kirby's lines — was spot on.
Alice showed up in the nick of time, not the least bit flustered. Marc does a nice job and walks like a real old man, having watched my 90-year-old dad closely for the past few weeks.
It was also somewhat interesting to see all the characters looking at and talking to an invisible man.
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| Marc getting a hug |
And we all had to envision a "Mr. Kirby" so he fit the part perfectly, right?
I'm almost wondering if someone ought to write a play featuring the missing guy...could be quite the show.
If you want to see "You Can't Take It With You," it plays through the week and Monday the 15th at 7:30 at the Lehi Arts Center at 685 N. Center. I think tickets are about $5.
And that's for a full cast.
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