You Can't Take It With You Broadway Revival

“You Can’t Take It With You” Broadway Revival

James Earl Jones Shines In A Fabulous Production

I imagine every high school and college theater department in the USA has done a production of “You Can’t Take It With You.” It has a large cast, a script with plenty of comic bits for everyone and is a proven property with laughs guaranteed by George S. Kaufmann and Moss Hart. Those like me who are addicted to TCM will remember the creaky Frank Capra movie starring Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Stewart. It is no exaggeration to call “You Can’t Take It With You” an aged but authentic American classic.

However, given its age and familiarity, you may ask why bother reviving a play that earned belly laughs back in FDR’s first term. Sure, it is a classic, but is actually still funny? The answer is simple: YES!

James Earl Jones is a great dramatic actor. I had seen him on Broadway in “Fences” and “The Best Man.” His depth and nuance as an actor only augment his physical presence and that amazing voice. In the “You Can’t Take It With You” Broadway revival, he demonstrates something that many casual fans may not know – he is funny. Very, very funny. In “Sneakers” and “Field of Dreams” you see it – instead of acting funny or going for a big laugh, he finds the humor within the character and the moment. That is part of the genius of his performance in the “You Can’t Take It With You” Broadway revival – he lets the humor come easily and naturally. While there are belly laughs (and lots of them) in the show, Mr. Jones’ character provides more smiles and mirth than guffaws.

As Grandpa, the genial oddball patriarch of a genial oddball family, Mr. Jones finds the perfect tone. He somehow makes all of this insanity seem perfectly normal. When an IRS agent ventures into the house to demand payment for decades of back taxes, Grandpa (Jones) merely responds “No, I don’t believe in it.” When pressed, he asks the agent, “Well, what do I get for my money?” On paper neither seems all that funny, but Mr. Jones’ droll delivery and razor sharp timing elicits howls from the audience. He makes the alternative reality of his wacky world seem like the norm; the “real” world appears crazy.