Arsenic and Old Lace
Directed by Anthony Pound
Produced by Garland Civic Theatre
Arsenic and Old Lace – the perfect comedy for this time of year. When Joseph Kesselring’s dark comedy arrived on Broadway in early 1941, it was an immediate success, with an original run of 1,444 performances. Since then, it has been revived multiple times on the Great White Way. It is a staple among educational, community, and professional theaters worldwide, and there is a really good reason for this: Arsenic and Old Lace is just flat-out funny!
Garland Civic Theatre treats its patrons with a clever and fast-paced production of this comedy classic. Sally Soldo and Francine Simpson play Abby and Martha Brewster with grace and sweetness – the kind of characters you would love living next door to. You can practically smell the fresh-baked sugar cookies and apple pie cooling in the window when the show starts – that’s the kind of sweetness they exude. They’re just darling. They entertain the local minister, Rev. Dr. Harper (played with patient calmness by Mike Barsalou) for tea, donate toys to the police (played with Keystone Cops-esque undertones by Zeke Fayble and Ryane Edwards), and even offer their spare room to potential boarders. THIS is where things get tricky. For you see, they aren’t REALLY interested in taking in boarders. They want to bring them peace by quietly murdering them and burying them in their cellar.
Yes, this is still a comedy!
Enter their nephew Mortimer Brewster, played with bombastic sincerity by Joel Frapart. Mortimer is a disillusioned theatre critic who happens to be in love with his aunts’ next door neighbor Elaine Harper (Callie Young-Windle), daughter of the aforementioned Rev. Dr. Harper. Young-Windle is wide-eyed and in love, yet still manages to bring an air of independence to Elaine. It’s nice to see a strong female character from this time period, as most tend to be pretty one-note. She plays nicely off of Frapart, remaining strong even while dealing with his justifiably schizophrenic behavior. Frapart has great comic timing in these frenetic moments and is a joy to watch.
The aunts have two other nephews – Teddy, who believes himself to be President Theodore Roosevelt, and Jonathan, a deadly crook who looks suspiciously like Boris Karloff. Teddy is hilariously and believably played by David Colville, who not only looks a great deal like Roosevelt but has many of the stereotypical mannerisms down as well. Yet he manages to let the childish insanity shine through, too. It’s an excellent performance. Jonathan, played with gleeful wickedness by Steve Iwanski-Sanchez, is almost the complete opposite of Teddy; he doesn’t care who he kills and when he does do the deed, he wants to methodically enjoy every minute. With his melodious low voice, Iwanski-Sanchez manages a fine balancing act between being the evil heavy without making the audience hate him. He’s clever and manipulative and -dare I say it? - fun.
Jeremy Duncan plays the somewhat evil (yet far less so) Dr. Einstein. Not Albert, but Herman. He’s the typical goofy sidekick who just does the bad stuff because Jonathan scares him. Duncan is adept at physical comedy and does a really nice job with the role.
Because Teddy Brewster often blows his bugle in the middle of the night when certain Presidential affairs require it, the cops are often called by the intolerant neighbors. This brings David Noel’s Officer O’Hara into the picture. A would-be playwright, he convinces Mortimer to listen to his life story, which he intends to write as a play. Noel is energetically annoying and rather dense for a policeman, but he is completely believable.
Rounding out the local police force is Bryn Hottman as Lieutenant Rooney. I found it interesting to see this role played by a woman, but Hottman made the role her own as the other cops’ tiny tough-as-nails superior. She was forceful and smart, and her take worked very well in the mix.
Rounding out the large cast are Mark Inman as would-be renter/murder victim Mr. Gibbs and Robert Honigsfeld as “Happy Dale Sanitarium” director Mr. Witherspoon. These characters have near-misses with the deadly, sweet aunts (and one of their fates is uncertain at the end of the show), and both actors do a fine job.
Director Anthony Pound has put together a solid cast, and he’s working with a talented group of designers. He himself designs the sound, which works well with the piece. I especially liked his choice of incidental music. Wiloni Derrington’s costume design – especially for Abby and Martha – is excellent. Gene Fields’s set design is lovely and functional (loved the furniture!), and Hayden Lopez does a nice job with the lighting design.
Arsenic and Old Lace is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s one of those shows I always love to watch. If you’ve never seen it, this is your chance to catch a solid, fun production at the beautiful Granville Center. If you have seen it before, you won’t be disappointed. Either way, if you like somewhat creepy yet playful October fare to get you in the Halloween mood, this is an excellent, wonderfully entertaining choice.
Audience Rating: PG
There’s NOTHING like live Theatre!
Carol M. Rice
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