G OOD L IFE myflorencetoday.com
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018
PAGE 1B
‘You Can’t Take It With You’ opens Friday at FLT Florence Little Theatre continues its 2017-18 season with the classic comedy “You Can’t Take It With You,” March 9-17. Performances are at 7:30 p.m., except for a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, March 11. The play is directed by Brittany Miles, assisted by Jumana Swindler. Performers include Dawn Porter as Penelope “Penny” Sycamore; Cliff Jones as Martin “Grandpa” Vanderhof; Brittany Miles as Alice Sycamore; Joey Webster as Tony Kirby and Lloyd Wilcox as Mr. Kirby; Meggie Baker as Essie Carmichael; Ray Taylor as Boris Kolenkhov; Shannon Dunn as Paul Sycamore; Chase Miles as Ed Carmichael and Larry Chewning as Mr. De Pinna. Also, Daniel Knight is Donald; Lunden De’Leon is Rheba; John Bankson is Wilbur C Henderson; Heather Ward is Mrs. Kirby; Jessica Larrimore is The Grand Duchess Olga Katrina; and plays Gay Wellington. G-Man 1 “The Man”is played by Nathaniel Daniels; G-Man 2 “Jim” is played by John Bankson; G-Man 3 “Mac” is played by Dylan Hudson. The play centers around the Vanderhof family – a collection of cheerful and erratic, yet lovable incompetents. There’s Grandpa Martin Vanderhof, the salty and philosophical patriarch of this wacky family and a man who made his peace with the world, if not the IRS, long ago. Then there is his daughter, Penelope Sycamore, a cheerful and unpublished playwright, and her husband, Paul who happily manufactures fireworks in the cellar. The third generation consists of Penelope and Paul’s daughters and son-in-law: Essie Carmichael, the eternally optimistic, and
LARRY CHEWNING AND SHANNON DUNN
CAST FOR ‘YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU’ inept ballerina, her husband Ed who has a passion for printing presses and xylophones, and Alice, a Wall Street secretary who seems to be the only normal character in the household. Into this whirlwind of activity comes Tony Kirby, Alice’s boyfriend, the son of her boss, and the epitome of normality and success in the business world. Tony is amused by Alice’s family and loves her in spite of the craziness in the family home. Alice, on the other hand, is sometimes merely chagrined, sometimes mortified by what happens when she brings Tony to the house. Despite the differences between the two families, Alice and Tony are soon engaged, and (over Alice’s protests) a dinner party is planned for Tony’s parents – at the Vanderhof home. Alice, of course, has misgivings about bringing Tony’s strait-laced parents into this maelstrom of activity, as she explained when she introduced Tony to her family: “I want him to take you in easy
doses. I’ve tried to prepare him a little, but don’t make it any worse than you can help.” The family assures Alice that they will be on their best behavior, and the night is set. However, as with most things in the Vanderhof family, things don’t go exactly as planned. Tony arrives with his parents in tow – but mistakenly arrives the night before the planned dinner party. And the Vanderhof tribe, rather than being on their best behavior are at their unplanned and hilarious worst. The Kirbys, predictably, are appalled at the wild unorthodoxy of the Vanderhofs, which presently results in the arrest of the family – and of the Kirbys themselves. Alice, convinced that the two families will never get along, determines to leave hers; but Tony, seeing something deeper in the family that his parents or perhaps even Alice don’t see, tries in vain to dissuade her and explains that he brought his parents to the party a night early on purpose: “I wanted (my parents) to see
Photos by John Cameron Photography a real family – as they really were. A family that loved and understood each other.” The Kirbys are angry at their son and disturbed that he could love such a family, but he insists that he still wants to marry Alice. Everything, eventually, is brought back to the important center by Grandpa, as he talks to Mr. Kirby and to Tony about what is really important and teaches everyone some vital lessons about life: “You’ve got all the money you need. You can’t take it with you. . . And what’s it got you? Same kind of mail every morning, same kind of deals, same kind of meetings, same dinners at night, same indigestion. Where does the fun come in? Don’t you think there ought to be something more... We haven’t got too much time, you know – any of us.” The crew includes: Wes Howell, stage man-
MEGGIE BAKER AND CHASE MILES ager with Brook Brown, Caleb Howell and Dylan Hudson assisting as stage crew. Renee Miles, costume mistress, assisted by Deby Smith and Angel Saverance. Dressers are Angel Saverance, Olyvia Gregg, Mandy Howell, Leranda Saverance and Deby Smith. Set design and props include Arlene Boyd as set designer/props mistress; Laniee Stevens, Judie Pierce and Mandy Howell. Makeup and hair is coordinated by Brittany Miles, Jordan Taylor, Leranda Saverance, Emily Bochett and Rebecca Perkins. Shauna Lair is handling sound and Will Bynum is on
lights. Lobby art features works by Hal Campbell, Symon Gibson and Tiffany Thomas and the Florence County Museum. The recommended minimum age is 13. The show runs about two hours. It is sponsored by Raldex Hospitality and A Friend of FLT. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 62 and above, and $14 for a student or child. You may purchase tickets by phone at (843) 662-3731 Mon.-Fri. 12-5 p.m.; in person at the daytime box office, 417 South Dargan Street Mon.-Fri. 12-5 p.m.; or online at www.florencelittletheatre.org.
Ken Baker, Mary Grace Colburn ready for competition BY BRENDA HARRISON Editor of The News Journal Florence, S.C. Ken Baker claims he and Mary Grace Colburn are “pumped and ready” to present their jive dance at the 2018 Dancing For Our Future Stars competition on March 22. The couple will perform to the upbeat song, “Hey Mickey,” dressed as a baseball player and cheerleader. Ken Baker is an account executive for WMBF TV. He has dance experience performing in musical theatre in his hometown of Cincinnati, but this is his first time competing. All proceeds from this major fund-raising event will go to The School Foundation. To date, the foundation has provided over $1,355,377 in grants to FSD1 educators. Ken, who has worked as an WMBF reporter, said he saw first hand how The School Foundation has benefitted the students. While delighted to support this great cause, Ken admits he was a little nervous until he started working with Mary Grace. “She is wonderful. She is giving me grace,” he said. Mary Grace, a student at Francis Marion University, teaches dance classes at Kelley Fine Arts. She has studied and danced with KFA for 16 years. She has competed in similar dance com-
KEN BAKER, MARY GRACE COLBURN
petitions around this area, but this is her first time competing in DFOFS. ”Ken dances really well,” Mary Grace stated, adding he is her first dance partner who is close to her height. “He does well with the flip and I feel really good about our performance,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t have to take a lot of time repeating the steps. I forget he’s not a professional,” she said. The pair are working on a special trick that will shock the audience, they said. Ken and Mary Grace will square-off with the other celebrities and dance professionals at the SiMT on March 22 for a chance to win the coveted mirror ball trophy at this 8th annual dance competition. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the competition at 7 p.m. Guests will have an opportunity to win a custom-designed jewelry piece donated by Lisa and Lex Matthews of Southern Jewelry Design. The remaining dance couples for this year’s event are: • Dr. Lisa Bishara (McLeod Health) and Joseph Steen • Louie Callahan (Burch Oxner Seale Co., CPAs) and Alexis McDonald • Ron Glancy (Raines Hospitality) and Tiffany Welsh • David Hall (First Reliance Bank) and Erin Haynes • Dr. Ramzy Hourany (Carolinas Hospital
System) and Julia Thompson • Jammie McDonald (First Citizens Bank) and Cole Davis • Joey McMillan (Coldwell Banker McMillan and Associates) and Katelyn Rodgers • Dr. Calvin Robinson (Trinity Baptist Church) and Fallon Frierson • Chris Rogers (Carver Elementary School) and Morgan Truitt • Robbie Timms (BB&T) and Meggie Baker • Les Ward (Pepsi of Florence, LLC/Pee Dee Food Service) and Mallory Baxley Fans may vote online for their favorite couple(s) at DancingForOurFutureStarsOfFlorence.com for $10 per vote. The “People’s Choice” mirror ball trophies will be awarded to the three couples raising the most votes. A panel of judges will name one couple “Technical Skills Winner” based on the contestants’ overall skills. One couple will also be chosen as “Most Entertaining” by the judges. Dancers receiving the largest number of online votes will be awarded the “Social Stars” trophy. School Foundation board member Ed Love and local celebrity Audra Coble will serve as master and mistress of ceremonies. The 2017 celebrities will perform the opening act and the KFA Fierce Team will provide special entertainment throughout the evening. To learn more about The School Foundation, visit their website at www.theschoolfoundation.org.