Willapa Players - You Can't Take it With You

Home Talent To Stage Play (Local paper - November 1956)

"You Can't Take It With You," fall production of the Willapa Harbor Players will go on stage at the Raymond high school auditorium Wednesday and Friday evenings, Nov. 28 and 30, with curtain times set for 8:15 o'clock. The sensational 3-act comedy of the late 30's will be presented by a cast of Raymond and South Bend actors. The play concerns the screw-ball antics of the Sycamore family, a family where everyone does just what he feels like. Among the characters are the Russian ballet instructor, played by Jack Mathis; 'Grandpa' played by Dr. Arthur Murray; and Essie, the would-be ballerina, played by Marie Hannan. Others taking part are Norma Briney as the grand duchess Olga, Gay Peterson, Margaret Orr, Frances Bussabarger, Ted Murray, Cliff Mathis, Charles Hutchins, Clyde Revord, Jim Kennedy, Virginia McKinney, Bill Shreve, Orville Ekman, Robert Hannan, and James Watts. The play is directed by Betty Mullen. Tickets may be obtained from any member of the Harbor Players and will be on sale at the door both nights. The net proceeds from the sale of tickets will go to purchase needed equipment for the high school auditorium.

Willapa Harbor Players Plan 2nd Production (In local paper November 1956)

RAYMOND (Special) - The second stage production of the Willapa Harbor Players, "You Can't Take It With You," by Kaufman & Hart, has been slated for presentation Wednesday and Friday nights November 28 and 30, at the Raymond high school auditorium. Directed by Mrs. Betty Mullen, the play is a three-act comedy written by the authors of such outstanding Broadway productions as "The Man Who Came To Dinner." Although first staged in 1936, the comedy was given recently over live TV in a program entitled "The Fabulous Sycamores." Local thespians included in the cast are as follows:

Gay Peterson (Penelope Sycamore), Marie Hannan (Essie), Frances Bussabarger (Rheba), Cliff Mathis (Paul Sycamore), Ted Murray (Mr. De Pinna), Clyde Revord (E), Jim Kennedy (Donald), Arthur Murray (Martin Vanderhof), Margaret Orr, (Alice), Orville Ekman (Henderson), Keith Townsend (Tony Kirby), J. W. Mathis (Boris Kolenkhov), Eleanor Mathis (Gay Wellington), Charles Hutchins (Mr. Kirby), Virginia McKinney (Mrs. Kirby), Norma Briney (Duchess Olga Katrina). Three players remain to be selected to portray three G-men. The newly-organized Willapa Harbor Players, who produced the successful "Dear Ruth" comedy last spring, are presenting "You Can't Take It With You" as their fall offering and plan to stage their third production next spring.

Audience Likes Stage Production By Carlos Lenis, Reporter (In the Willapa Harbor paper Sat. evening Dec. 1, 1956)

RAYMOND (Special) - The second stage production of the Willapa Harbor Players, "You Can't Take It With You" presented last night in the Raymond high school auditorium was greeted with the hearty applause of approximately 300 spectators. The antics of the Sycamore family, whose motto is "do as you like with no questions asked," kept the full house laughing throughout most of the three-act comedy. Directed by Betty G. Mullen, the Hart & Kaufman drama also was staged before a smaller audience on Wednesday night. Cast in the successful comedy were the following local thespians: Gay Peterson, Marie Hannan, Frances Bussabarger, Cliff Mathis, Ted Murray, Clyde Revord, James Kennedy, Arthur Murray, Margaret Orr, Orville Ekman, Bill Shreve, Jack Mathis, Eleanor Mathis, Charles Hutchins, Virginia McKinney, Norma Briney, Robert Hannan and James Watts. The production was sponsored by the Adult Education program of the Raymond school district by arrangement with the Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

Critic Lauds Local Talent By W. G. SARGENT (In the Raymond Herald & Advertiser Thurs. Dec. 6, 1956)

The theatrical production "You Can't Take It With You", staged Wednesday and Friday evening at the Raymond high school auditorium was a huge success in every sense of the word. It must of course, inevitably be compared with last year's production of "Dear Ruth", which was so very well received. This, if anything, was better than "Dear Ruth". You Can't Take It With You" might be called a comedy of manners in which life in two widely differing strata of society is contrasted. The plot is fragile, and the success of the play is chiefly dependent on the lines and situations. The cast was large and each character seemed to be especially selected for the role he was to inhabit. The lines were generally hilarious and delivered with great conviction. The cast was too large to give individual credit, but be it said that each character acquitted himself nobly and with telling effect. However, one may with impunity give great praise to the director Elizabeth Mullins. Let us hope she will direct many more plays for this splendid group of amateur thespians who display such professional capabilities.