Thelma Carrigan, Ben Saylor and Pat Kearney entertain the crowd in "Arsenic and Old Lace," which runs through Oct. 5 at Huntington Playhouse. (Photo credit: Tom Meyrose)

Murdering matrons take the stage at Huntington Playhouse
By Author
Insights
Published Sept. 24, 2008

Joseph Kesselring wrote a classic in the 1930s with his “Arsenic and Old Lace”. It’s about two charming old ladies who perform works of charity. One “charity” is to lure old men with no family to their home to rent a room, decide that the men are lonely, and poison them with elderberry wine.

What could be a one-gag play is in fact a comedy masterpiece. “Arsenic and Old Lace” is filled with verbal and physical comedy and has endured for three-fourths of a century. It is the current attraction on the Huntington Playhouse stage.

Huntington’s audience is happiest when the theater presents familiar shows. “Arsenic and Old Lace” should guarantee a successful run.

The Brewster sisters make broth for a sick policeman’s wife, find unused toys for charity, and kill lonely old men. They are also completely insane, but with the veneer of charm.

Their nephew, Mortimer, also seems crazy. He’s a theater critic—and hates most of what he has to see. Mortimer’s brother, Jonathan, bears a resemblance to Boris Karloff and lives the roles the movie-monster played. Uncle Teddy thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and charges up the stairs wielding an imaginary saber. Policemen, the minister next door, and other neighbors are only slightly less crazy.

The plot of “Arsenic and Old Lace” is driven by two bodies, one the victim of Abby and Martha, and the other of Jonathan and his sidekick Dr. Einstein. Bodies move, disappear, and each of the twelve cast members get chances at double and even triple takes.

Thelma Carrigan and Pat Kearney are Abby and Martha Brewster. They know how to set a formal dinner table, and get one of the show’s biggest laughs when they appear in their black mourning dresses for a proper Lutheran burial service. It’s for one of their victims, you see.

Ben Saylor is an energized Mortimer and works to balance the show’s physical comedy demands with his romance for preacher’s daughter Elaine. Marissa Sertich as Elaine, especially in the second and third acts, shows perfect timing and comic brilliance. What could be a “pedestrian” performance is an “inspired” one with Sertich.

Mike Kunikis as criminal-brother Jonathan, and Bobby Thomas as deluded brother Teddy are good in the roles that were more “contemporary” in the 1930’s. Both craft their roles to make them accessible to today’s audiences. That is not an easy feat.

Dale Hruska does not act often enough, and when he does, audiences love him. As Dr. Einstein, he gives the solid performance of a professional and never detracts from others who are on stage. Tripping over furniture, cowering from his violent partner-in-crime, and prideful of his face-changing surgeries, Hruska’s Dr. Einstein is memorable.

Director Dave MacKeigan clearly understands this show and has molded the cast to a unified ensemble. I wish he could quicken the pace to shorten the running time. The production has some tedious moments, and a brisker pace would leave nothing out and make the show more satisfying to the audience. “Arsenic and Old Lace” has a three-act structure which is difficult for today’s audiences.

“Arsenic and Old Lace” runs through October 5. Huntington Playhouse has a few special “Patron Appreciation Nights” with all seats at $10, a bargain. Give them a call at (440) 871-8333 for more details.   

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