I absolutely loved the Irish Rep TAKE ME ALONG; it's well-crafted, the songs are delightful, and it's full of heart. My friends Willam Parry and Don Stephenson were both delightful, as was the rest of the cast. I liked the little ragtime combo which I thought sounded just right for a 1910 Fourth of July. I would kill to score this show for a real ragtime ensemble of piano, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, banjo, string quartet, bass and drums. I had a great afternoon.
DR TCB, I love THE CAT AND THE CANARY! It's a delightful horror-comedy that deserves more stage productions; I was lucky to see a wonderfully stylish staging off-Broadway in 1979 that walked the edge of camp and melodrama, had a great cast, and succeeded admirably. The original leading man on Broadway was Henry Hull of THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON and the original leading lady was Florence Eldridge. I love the Hope-Goddard version, which is closest to the actual feel of the play, but it's only available as a Region-2 DVD. I first saw it on a double bill with GHOST BREAKERS around 1981 but with the death of movie revival house in NYC, I doubt that will ever happen again.
I also like the silent version, which is quite creepy and gothic but the comedy is downplayed, as I remember.