You Can't Take It With You

Photo/Rod Goodman

Farce is hard, especially when it's bottled up with specific period-piece rhythms. Peter Jensen can't plead ignorance: he uses the era's music to choreograph interludes (which also miss the mark), but he doesn't get that rhythm into the whole play (the more successful second act hints at what's missing overall). As a result, these characters only have sparks of firecracker mirth, and like the fireworks in the show, they're not timed correctly. (Even then, they're derivative, not spontaneous.) This unevenness only exaggerates how the pieces are not fitting together. With the Sycamore clan, their quirks are complemented by the love they all share: but take away that necessary emotion, as in this production, and all that's left is unnecessary emoting.

[Read on] [Also blogged by: Patrick]