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Photo Melora B. North
Rich McKey and Liam Cullane play brothers in "Arsenic and Old Lace." |
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Arsenic is a delicious poison
By Melora B. North
Banner Staff
Arsenic and Old Lace, now in production at the Chatham Drama Guild on Crowell Road, is a sprint back in time to the day when it was the norm for spinsters to live with one another. In the case of the Brewster sisters, Abby (Jan Anderson) and Martha (Karen McPherson), the norm ends just about there. These are two wacky yet well-meaning gals who are a bit loony in a delightful way that tickles the audience with shivers of anticipation, comedic relief and never-ending surprises that turn the stage upside-down with a riot of enthusiastic activity, leaving the audience breathless.
From certifiably insane Teddy Brewster (Liam Cullane), the sister’s nephew who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt, to a certifiably sane but doubtful other nephew, Mortimer Brewster (Rich McKey), to their long lost brother Jonathan Brewster, who is indeed just plain evil, the audience is treated to yet one more lesson in just how far DNA can account for family lineage. In the case of the Brewsters, it’s just a matter of bad genes, bad decisions, a heavy dose of love and some dysfunctional antics that make up the family dynamic and keep this vehicle rolling along at a steady clip.
It seems the sisters have invented an alternative to grief counseling. They have discovered an elderberry wine cocktail guaranteed to chase the blues away Ð permanently. In an effort to relieve lonely old men of their humdrum lives, the girls invite them into their charming Victorian home, where they poison them and later bury them in the dirt basement in graves naively dug by Teddy, who believes he is simply digging in the Panama Canal. And yes, he does transport them to the cellar; the women are too frail, so they dupe him into this chore by telling him the victim has died of cholera. It’s all very civilized, neat and tidy in the Brooklyn-based Brewster household. That is, until Mortimer catches on to the antics and freaks out when he discovers one of the gentlemen in the infamous window seat where more than one body is destined to take a break.
Add to the mix Mortimer’s fiance, the aunt’s neighbor from just across the graveyard, Elaine Harper (Tara Dedie), and her disapproving father, Rev. Dr. Harper (Ed Etsten), who doesn’t want his daughter hooked up with, of all things, a theater critic, and you get the gist that things are destined to go amuck. But there are a few twists that are unexpected. Take a crazy Dr. Einstein (Ron Buck), who makes a dubious living out of altering people’s faces, and join him at the hip with the disowned brother (Doug McKenna), and there’s bound to be another body or two unearthed. But there are even more surprises and we aren’t going to give them away — they are rich and indicative of how gracefully this comedic drama has aged over time.
The set, designed by Kay DeFord and Terri Cogan, is a wonderful replica of a Victorian mansion drawing room complete with heavy, floral drapes, a cozy settee and the requisite wine tumbler full of magic potions. The only thing missing is a horsehair fainting couch. Lighting on the day we were there was a little off, but all in all Parker Chick does a good job of bringing to life the set where life is indeed an endangered commodity. Kathy Hamilton, John Duble and Emily Hamilton have been quite inventive in the costume department. The ladies are turned out in perfect outfits that mirror the year of 1941 when the war was in full swing, survival a challenge to those who were not well heeled. From the cameos to camisoles, the duds were right on. And Teddy's costumes, wow! He is a mirror image of a Roosevelt caricature.
Under the baton of director Fran DeVasto, the show runs along at a steady speed, albeit a bit long. But bear in mind it has been trimmed from a three-act play to two, and the cuts are admirable. Good work, one and all.
Arsenic and Old Lace plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. For tickets call (508) 945-0510.
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Nov 15th, 2007