NWC theatre to present American comedy

“You Can’t Take it With You,” a classic American comedy, will be presented by Northwestern College in the England Theatre April 17, 18, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and April 25 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Set in the late 1930s, “You Can’t Take it With You” takes place in the New York City home of Martin Vanderhof and his eccentric family. Vanderhof has modeled an unconventional life of pursuing one’s passions rather than the rat race of Wall Street money-making. It’s a philosophy he has passed down to his daughter’s family and other pseudo-family members who float in and out of the household.

When the play opens, Vanderhof’s granddaughter, Alice, has begun a relationship with Tony Kirby, an executive at his father’s Wall Street firm. As Alice and Tony contemplate marriage, hilarity ensues and sparks fly when the staid and proper Kirbys meet the free-spirited, capricious Sycamore clan.

Grandpa Vanderhof  will be played by junior Gerrit Wilford, Brandon, S.D. Junior Amanda Hays, Chicago, has the role of Alice, and Warren Duncan, a freshman from Urbandale, Iowa, will play Tony.

Northwestern theatre professor April Hubbard is directing the show, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. A film adaptation starring Jimmy Stewart and directed by Frank Capra received two Academy Awards, including Best Picture, in 1938.

Tickets for “You Can’t Take it With You” are $8 for adults and $4 for students. The DeWitt Theatre box office opens April 6 for Theatre Patrons; it is open April 7–25 for the general public.

Tickets can be reserved at www.nwciowa.edu/tickets or by visiting the box office between 5 and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday or between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday. The box office can also be reached by phone, 712-707-7098, or e-mail, boxoffice@nwciowa.edu.