Star-Studded You Can't Take It With You On Bway

Playwrights. Ballet dancers. Snake charmers.  Fireworks makers. Budding artists. Revolutionaries. Drunken thespians. Xylophone players. Wall Street tycoons. G-men, starry-eyed young lovers, cuddly kittens and Russian royalty. George Kauffman and Moss Hart's classic You Can't Take It With you has them all.

All together.

All in one house.

All on one stage.

And with a star-studded cast including James Earl Jones, Rose Byrne, Mark Linn-Baker, Kristine Nielsen and Elizabeth Ashley, among others.

Directed by Scott Ellis, this is a big, old-fashioned, fast-paced, madcap comedy with new twists and wrinkles that make it surprisingly relevant right now.

The story revolves around the zany Sycamore family headed by grandpop Martin Vanderhof (Jones) Penelope Sycamore (Nielsen) and Paul Sycamore (Linn-Baker).

They all live with various other family members and assorted "guests" who drop in and frequently hang around for days. months or even years. And they inhabit a wonderful revolving set designed by David Rockwell.

To call this family "eccentric" would be an understatement. And yet, are they really any different from any other family? And what makes a family "normal" anyway?

You Can't Take It With You is still in previews and doesn't officially open till September 28 but form what we saw of the show yesterday, it's almost ready for its Big Night.

Jones underplays the role of the wise old sage somewhat, holding back until his big moment in the play's closing scene. Nielsen is spot-on as the family's distracted matriarch and Linn-Baker is almost her equal as her husband. Ashley may still be getting comfortable in her role as a transplanted member of the Russian royal family but the essence of the performance is already there. Of particular note: Annaleigh Ashford as Essie; Byron Jennings as Mr. Kirby; Reg Rogers as Boris Kolenkhov and Fran Kranz as Tony Kirby. They are all excellent.

This play won the Pulitzer Prize, and with good reason. It leads you along on a crazy, laugh-filled roller coaster journey as you are lulled into thinking that it's simply all about a good time. Well, it is a jolly good time in the theater, no question about that. And much of this is do to the fine acting and pinpoint timing.

But this show is about so much more than its fine craftsmanship or the notion of a a couple of hours pleasantly spent. And by the time the show is over, you realize the real meaning of the play's title.

Yes, you'll laugh a lot at the lives depicted in this crazy, patchwork clan - we guarantee it. But you'll also find yourself thinking about your own life.

You Can't Take It With You: When it comes to Big Name Broadway Theater, this is about as good as it gets.