YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU; Hale Center Theater Orem; through Aug. 19; 226-8600; running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes with one intermission.
OREM — Don't give up on "You Can't Take It With You."
Although it starts a little slowly, the last half of this show is well worth the wait.
The characters — introduced as one slightly odd duck after another — come together as a family and as an ensemble in a production that is genuine and heartwarming.
Chris H. Brower reigns over the cuckoo's nest as Martin Vanderhof, the patriarch who simply decided one day not to go to work anymore and hasn't regretted it. He's wonderfully sage and delivers his lines like precious gems.
Page Petrucka is Penelope Sycamore, dedicated to writing plays because a typewriter was delivered by mistake to her home.
Essie Carmicheal, played by Stephanie Foster Breinholt, dances at every opportunity, hoping and planning to be ready for her big chance when it comes. She also happens to have a matching pair of ballet shoes for every outfit.
Her husband prints: menus for dinner (Lovecremes, cornflakes and tomatoes, anyone?), business cards, whatever he likes.
Meanwhile, Paul Sycamore, played by Lon Keith, is in the basement creating fireworks with the latest permanent guest in the household.
The maid just tries to keep up, and Alice Sycamore, played by Mary Crystal Milner, tries to keep her new romance from foundering in the sea of wackiness. Her beau, Tony Kirby, played by Matthew Haws, thinks he can handle the madness, but his somewhat stuffy parents are quite taken aback.
(Robinne Booth's reactions as Mrs. Kirby are priceless, especially as her repeated attempts to leave gracefully are thwarted.)
Clearly, this 70-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy by Moss Hart and George Kauffman has still got it. The comedy and the family bond is strong. Grandpa's complaints about taxes still have merit. "What do I get for my money?" he wants to know. "I'll give you $75," he decides. "That's all it's worth."
Guest director Matt Neves has done a good job. The characters ring true and the pacing is kept mercifully tight.
The set is fun with lots of knickknacks and pieces like the old typewriter, dart board and birdcage that fit in well.
The kittens — sitting on Mrs. Sycamore's pages at the opening — are a nice touch.
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com