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<p>DALLAS TOWNSHIP &#8212; Before her boyfriend, who happens to be her boss&#8217; son, comes over to meet her family, Alice Sycamore tries to persuade her eccentric relatives to tone down their antics.</p><p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t read him any plays, Mother, and don&#8217;t let a snake bite him, Grandpa, because I like him. And, I wouldn&#8217;t dance for him, Essie, because we&#8217;re going to the Monte Carlo Ballet tonight.&#8221;</p><p>Just so you know, Alice&#8217;s mom writes plays because a typewriter was delivered to their house by mistake a few years earlier. Her grandfather collects live snakes and her sister, Essie, stretches and twirls in every direction, right in the middle of conversations because, when she&#8217;s not making candy, her life seems to be one constant ballet class.</p><p>But as the students who are preparing the comedy &#8220;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You&#8221; for March 17-19 at Misericordia University can tell you, those characters are only part of the jolly and unconventional Sycamore household.</p><p>&#8220;I get so &#8212; for lack of a better word &#8212; sloshed, I pass out on the couch,&#8221; said Zoe Laporte, 19, of West Pittston, who portrays an actress Mrs. Sycamore befriends.</p><p>&#8220;I build fireworks in the cellar,&#8221; said James Cihocki, 19, of Hunlock Creek, who plays Mr. Sycamore. &#8220;Everyone in the family does what makes them happy. We&#8217;re all in love with life.&#8221;</p><p>When Alice&#8217;s boyfriend brings his parents over to dinner on &#8220;the wrong night&#8221; &#8212; an evening when everyone at Alice&#8217;s house is just being himself or herself &#8212; the situation turns even more lively than usual.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s mad chaos. People are dancing and painting. There&#8217;s a guy in a toga,&#8221; said Mason Moher, 21, of Clarks Summit, who plays Alice&#8217;s stuffy future father-in-law, Mr. Kirby.</p><p>The Kirbys don&#8217;t exactly warm up to the Sycamores at first.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not very nice people,&#8221; explained Kali McCornac, 19, of Bethlehem, who plays Mrs. Kirby.</p><p>But, who knows? Maybe they&#8217;ll loosen up when they get to know the Sycamores better.</p><p>If cast members met people like Alice&#8217;s family in real life, how would they react?</p><p>&#8220;I think it would be fun,&#8221; said Jacob Schweiger, 21, of Barton, New York, who plays Grandpa.</p><p>Annette Ritzko, 19, of Coaldale, who plays a G-Man who just might arrest Grandpa, isn&#8217;t quite as sold. &#8220;I&#8217;d definitely like to visit them,&#8221; she said honestly, &#8220;but not stay forever.&#8221;</p><p>But, Moher said, to his way of thinking there&#8217;s no need for the young thespians to visit a motley and creative crew like the Sycamores.</p><p>&#8220;We<em> are</em> like that,&#8221; Moher said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A visiting actress is passed out on the couch, a Russian ballet master teaches his protegee and Grandpa presides over his zany family as Zoe LaPorte, Michaela McQuaig, Cordell Bresh and Jacob Schweiger rehearse for Misericorida University&#8217;s production of &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031116takewith1-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>A visiting actress is passed out on the couch, a Russian ballet master teaches his protegee and Grandpa presides over his zany family as Zoe LaPorte, Michaela McQuaig, Cordell Bresh and Jacob Schweiger rehearse for Misericorida University&#8217;s production of &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Weekender </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031116takewith2-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Director Jeff Kelly explains a point to the cast of &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031116takewith2-1-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Director Jeff Kelly explains a point to the cast of &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Weekender </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031116takewith3-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Adam Ercolani Playing the xylophone, as Adam Ercolani&#8217;s character does, is just one of the many creative activities an eccentric family enjoys in &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031116takewith3-1-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Adam Ercolani Playing the xylophone, as Adam Ercolani&#8217;s character does, is just one of the many creative activities an eccentric family enjoys in &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Weekender </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031116takewith4-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Misericordia University students Connor Swagler and James Cihocki portray two men who are intent about crafting fireworks in the basement. That&#8217;s just one of many unusual activities the characters pursue in the comedy &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL031116takewith4-1-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Misericordia University students Connor Swagler and James Cihocki portray two men who are intent about crafting fireworks in the basement. That&#8217;s just one of many unusual activities the characters pursue in the comedy &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You.&#8217; </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Weekender </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> &#8216;You Can&#8217;t Take It With You&#8217;</p><p><strong>Who:</strong> Misericordia Players</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 8 p.m. March 17-19</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Lemmond Theater in Walsh Hall, Misericordia University, Lake Street, Dallas Township</p><p><strong>Tickets:</strong> $5, $3</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

You’ll meet a family ‘in love with life’ during Misericordia University’s production of ‘You Can’t Take It With You’