BY KAREN BOSSICK
Find out what happens when a man from a family of rich snobs becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family when the Wood River High School Drama Department presents “You Can’t Take It with You.”
The classic play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, will take the stage at 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 18-19. It will also run at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21, at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater at the Community Campus in Hailey.
The fun begins with a young man named Tony and his parents are invited to dine at the home of Alice, the young woman he has fallen in love with. Unfortunately, they show up on the wrong evening and the decidedly unpretentious food they’re offered does not sit well with Tony’s snobby parents.
Tony keeps pressing to set things right, knowing in his heart that his own family is wrong.
One of the most popular and successful plays of modern times, the 1936 play was made into a film starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur and Lionel Barrymore in 1938. The film version won an Academy Award for Best Picture.
Director Karl Nordstrom said he believed the play was a good fit for the students in his program, although it’s a difficult production to produce.
“Challenging language, many historical references, a chance to investigate another era and a good message all within a classic, good natured comedy made Kaufman and Hart’s play a logical choice,” he said.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for high school students, military and seniors, $3 for middle school students and $1 for children. Tickets are available at the door.