Carlee WrightPentacle opens its 2026 season with a comedy classic.
You Can’t Take It With You may be nearly 90 years old, but its message feels made for 2026.
The Pulitzer Prize–winning play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart follows the eccentric Vanderhof family, led by Grandpa, whose home is filled with inventors, dreamers, and offbeat pursuits. His granddaughter Alice, a sensible young woman, falls for Tony, the polished son of a wealthy Wall Street family, and their worlds collide with comic results.
The show is directed by Scott Ramp and features a cast of familiar Pentacle favorites, plus a handful of newcomers.
“I have always loved Kaufman and Hart shows,” said Scott. This particular one has stayed with him since he first saw it at Pentacle in 1979. Though he’s directed many productions over the years (including the 2025 season opener, Arsenic and Old Lace), this was a story he’d long hoped to bring to life himself. “It’s full of memorable characters and funny lines,” he said. And when he revisited the script, he was struck by how contemporary it still feels.
Written between World War I and World War II, the play is as relevant today as it was back then, said Scott. “The overarching theme is don’t take yourself so seriously. The world isn’t crazy — it’s the people.” He also points to the show’s lasting influence, noting that numerous stories about clashing families and awkward introductions trace their roots back to this original comedy of manners.
Visually, the Vanderhof home tells its own story.
Scott approached the design by starting with what might have originally belonged in the house, then adding to it piece upon piece. “It’s a quirky family. They collect everything,” he said. The result is a wonderfully cluttered set where every object has meaning. Plus, a few subtle nods to past Pentacle productions are tucked in for longtime theatergoers, part of Scott’s habit of weaving small surprises into each show.
For Scott, comedy holds special power right now. “We can all use more laughter in our lives,” he said, especially during the darker winter months. While he loves directing dramas, there’s a satisfaction in listening to an audience discover jokes in real time.
You Can’t Take It With You
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan 30-31, Feb 4-7, 12-14, 18-21, and 2 p.m. Feb 1, 8, 14-15
Where: Pentacle Theatre, 324 52nd Ave. NW
PS: You Can’t Take It With You is a three-act play, with two intermissions, so this is your reminder not to leave after the second act. Watch for a playful moment during intermission, as a costumed volunteer channels a vintage cigarette vendor, adding an immersive charm to the show.
P-PS: There are cats! Two Maine Coon kittens (Walter and Gladys) make appearances onstage, carefully handled by the cast rather than roaming freely. Their presence adds another unpredictable layer to live performance. “We never know how they’re going to behave each night,” Scott laughed, but the cast has embraced their furry scene partners, and audiences get to share in that spontaneous magic.
Author: Carlee Wright
Carlee Wright is a community instigator with a grand love for Salem and notably fashionable shoes (Hello, John Fluevog!) who turns waste into wearable art in her "spare" time.
