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Artisan Center Theatre is home to a brilliant company of local talent. Not only the acting troupe, but set design, costuming and tech have all raised the bar on what to expect from community theatre with their currently running show, “Arsenic and Old Lace.”
“Arsenic and Old Lace” is a theatre classic written in 1939 by American playwright Joseph Kesselring. It opened on Broadway and the London stage January 10th, 1941 and ran continuously in New York till June 17th, 1944 with 1,444 performances. An extraordinary record at the time. Although Kesselring would go on to write twelve more plays, none would see the success of his first play. In 1944, film director Frank Capra would further the story’s fame and following by putting it up on the big screen starring Cary Grant.
The play is a farcical black comedy revolving around the Brewster family, descended from the “Mayflower,” but now composed of insane homicidal maniacs. The hero, Mortimer Brewster, is a drama critic who must deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn as he debates whether to go through with his recent promise to marry the woman he loves.
His family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to murdering lonely old men by poisoning them with a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsnenic strychnine and “just a pinch” of cyanide. A brother also lives in the house, and believes he is Theodore Roosevelt, and digs locks for the Panama Canal in the cellar of the Brewster home. These locks prove to be very useful as graves for the aunts’ victims that Teddy believes have died from yellow fever. A second older brother comes home after over 20 years having received plastic surgery to avoid the law who are hunting him down with suspicion of 12 murders pinned to him.
From the moment I stepped into the theatre space at ACT, I felt as though I had walked through a time warp and was being invited to sit and relax in the Brewster living room. Not only the stage, but the entire performance space including the walls behind the audience were brilliantly designed and decorated. Attention to detail by stage and set designer Wendy Searcy-Woods was beyond anything I’ve seen in recent history. I highly encourage theatre-goers to arrive early and peruse the set. From the vintage furnishings and china, all the way down to the 1944 Life magazine that was sitting on a side table on one of the platforms leading “upstairs,” make for an all-encompassing effect. Around the set one will notice mementos the Brewster sisters have kept from their 12 “gentlemen.” In the umbrella stand there are 12 unattended umbrellas. The vase outside the sisters’ bedroom holds 12 peacock feathers….which are almost off stage, a taboo for those of us with theatre superstitions draped on our shoulders like the Brewster sister’s tattered shawls. There are 12 photographs of men on the wall behind the audience on the South side of the stage, and to my count, 12 things broken or in disrepair around the living room.
There are two casts performing, with a few actors doing double duty in both casts. One that takes stage on Mon., Wed. and Sat. matinees, and the other that takes stage Tue., Thur. and Sat. evenings. I attended a Tuesday performance. Berrie Alguire and Sherri Britton played the elderly cracked Brewster sisters with perfect charm, grace and comedic timing! Britton’s exaggerated comical gestures and facial expressions were dynamic! She captured my heart with her sweet little old lady, old world charm, and almost made me able to overlook her “hobby.” Alguire was also perfectly cast, and offered the audience a performance to rival anything seen at the Winspear Opera House or Bass Performance Hall.
I was so drawn in to the story by the set and actors, that when the two aunts go about setting the table and serving tea to the Rev. Dr. Harver (Travis Miller), I almost expected to be offered a cookie. Teddy Brewster aka. Teddy Roosevelt, (Jonathan Russell) is performing in both casts, and audiences are lucky for it. His delivery of the demented Brewster brother is the kind of performance that makes other actors jealous. Russell’s line delivery and mannerisms capture the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt without falter.
The hero of the story, Mortimer Brewster (Brandon Wimmer), kept the show moving at a very nice pace in places where other productions of the show falter. His romantic scenes with girlfriend Elaine Harper (Alexis Walworth) could have easily fallen flat and dragged, but they didn’t. Both Wimmer and Harper showed a very good understanding of comedic timing, stage presence and great physicality. Their characters were truly brought to life with attention to the little things they each did with their hands, body language and facial expressions.
When Mortimer is explaining to Elaine his disdain for his job as a theatre critic because of all the bad plays he has to review, Elaine responds with all the enthusiasm for theatre of someone who rarely gets to see a show. Both adjust their clothing to reflect their emotions. This type of stage business could easily be distracting, but in this instance, it only brings the characters more to life.
All of the police in the show have taken on an Irish dialect. It might have been nice to have a wider range of accents. Although there were a lot of Irish coppers in 1944, a good solid Brooklyn accent would have given more depth.
When murderous maniac Brewster brother Johnathan (Doug Herring) and his plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein (Steven Devereaux) arrive at the Brewster home, the comedy and suspense spiral to intoxicating levels! Both Herring and Devereaux have excellent character development and delivery, but as a couple, they are fantastically paired! Much like the other couples in this show, these two gentlemen have exquisite timing with each other. Johnathan is supposed to have recently received plastic surgery that leaves him looking like Boris Karloff. Herring must be a real Karloff fan, because he captures the iconic horror actor to a T. Devereaux gets a chance to show the Artisan audiences just how seamlessly he can deliver an Indian accent. Bravo sir!
Steven Lindsay, director of ACT’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” has taken great care and efforts in helping mold and produce a very memorable and entertaining show. It is very evident that a team effort was put forth from all involved, but Mr. Lindsay directs of the show to evolve into a production that will make audiences laugh, hold their breath and then laugh even harder.
Artisan will be performing “Arsenic and Old Lace” through November 7th. Show times and tickets can be purchased online at www.artisanct.com or by calling the box office at (817) 284-1200.
