By Anandi Hoogheem, LO’T Feature Reporter and Maranda Bargren, LO’T Feature Co-Editor

This year’s fall play was Moss Hart and George S. Koffman’s, “You Can’t Take It With You,” a three-part comedy from 1936. It follows Alice Sycamore, played by junior Lillian Cobert as she falls in love with Tony Kirby, played by senior Josh Stivers. However, the couple must overcome the stark differences between her eccentric family and his wealthy parents if they want to be truly happy together. This play was fairly lighthearted yet touched on some serious topics such as socio-economic status, fear of communism, and the importance of fostering hobbies. The director of the play, Mrs. Koski, says, “The theme is perfect for this difficult year: focus on finding what you love and who you want to spend time with.”

This comedy was well-received; a crowd of 200 showed up for each of the three shows. As Mrs. Koski puts it, “That’s a win any day, but especially after taking a year off of full scale productions.” The lighthearted nature led to lots of laughs from the audience, and the rough patches allowed the cast and crew to learn more about theatre through problem solving. Merging costumes, the set, props, and more into the same world is always a challenging process. Light crew, with the help of maintenance staff and light designers, had to deal with electrical outages. Lillian Cobert, who played Alice, recalls “I think we learned a lot about teamwork and how people fit together.”

Many audience members’ favorite part of “You Can’t Take It With You” was the chaotic climax, in which the clashing families were arrested for communist propaganda, and fireworks were accidentally set off. Members of the sound crew agreed because it was exciting to operate the firework effects. It seems both the audience and the cast and crew had a fun theatre experience, hopefully encouraging more involvement in the future!