UNIVERSITY THEATRE: WACKY FAMILY FINDS `YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU'

It's not often you meet people like the Sycamores. They are an off-the-wall clan, considered eccentric by the kind, and demented by the harsh.

The grandfather collects snakes. The man who came to deliver ice eight years ago never left and now lives in the basement, usually sporting a toga.

It's no wonder the daughter in the family, Alice, is sure that if her new boyfriend meets her family, she'll never see him again.

It's the Sycamores who are at the heart of the goofy comedy "You Can't Take It With You," the first production of the season for the Southeast Missouri State University Theater Department.

Amy Monfort, a sophomore from St. Louis, wanted to play the part of Alice Sycamore because she saw it as a challenge.

"She's young and in trouble," said Monfort of Alice. "She's torn between her family and her boyfriend, whom she's very much in love with. I always like to go for the roles where there is a conflict."

Jay Cross, who plays Alice's boyfriend Tony Kirby, said he found his role to be more difficult than he imagined.

"It was easier to play a 44-year-old in a drama than it is playing Tony," he said. "Maybe it hits too close to home."

Cross, a senior from Billings, Mont., who didn't try his hand at acting until college, said "You Can't Take It With You" illustrates that differences can be enlightening.

"I think it's something everyone can relate to," he said.

"You Can't Take It With You" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that opened in New York in 1936. The satirical comedy was made into a movie starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore and Spring Byington. It won the Academy Award for the best film of 1938.

Alden Field, a veteran member of the theater department, plays Martin Vanderhoff, the grandfather in the Sycamore family. Martin is one of the most outlandish of the Sycamore clan. He likes to attend commencement ceremonies as a hobby, and collects snakes.

Field said playing a character who is in his 70s is a challenge. "His philosophy is that life will take care of itself," said Field of his character. "In a lot of ways, that's why he seems younger. He never worries about anything."

Field, a junior from Sikeston, died his blond hair black for the role. He said he'll add gray streaks to his locks to complete the look.

Field also had lead roles in the university productions of "Chapter Two" and "Murder in the Cathedral."

One of the most curious characters in the play is Mr. De Pinna, played by Dan Akre, a freshman from Billings, Mont. De Pinna is the delivery man who was "adopted" as a family member eight years ago.

"He likes to work down in the cellar with fireworks," Akre said of his character. "He's had a few accidents.

"And to add to the craziness of the Sycamore-Vanderhoff clan and really show that this family is way out there, he wears a toga."

Akre, who is considering shaving his head for he role, said he's had fun with it.

"That's what Mr. De Pinna is there for, to have fun and be silly," he said.

The question remains: Will Alice and Tony stay together?

"There is a time when it looks like there is not chance we will get together," Cross said.

But the actor declined to give away the ending.

"You Can't Take It With You" will be presented Oct. 30 and 31, and Nov. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14 in the Forrest H. Rose Theatre on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. All performances are at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $3 for students, faculty and senior citizens, and $5 for non-students. Group rates are available for the Nov. 5 and 12 shows.