Arsenic and Old Lace

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Since the first Neaderthol produced the first play around a campfire, ghost stories float with abandonment. Some have been held in tight secrecy. After all, wh’s going to believe the unbelievable? The people who experience the unnerving episodes, that’s who.

Main Street Players just finished a three-week run of Joseph Kesselring’s wildly popular play, Arsenic and Old Lace in their new home at Englewood’s Sinclair Middle School, 300 W. Chenango Ave. Arsenic and Old Lace, a long-time favorite very funny show with delightful weird characters, wears comfortably like an old shoe.

Their next production, Hello Dolly runs April 27-May 7, giving only two weekends for performance. Jim Honiotes, President of Main Street Players is pleased with their new home, pleased with the growth of the Main Street Players, and eager for the theatre community to experience their endeavors.

rsenic and Old Lace, a long-time favorite comedy, opened on Broadway 1941.

Main Street’s production was directed by Jerry Schell. Although he has directed several plays throughout the Front Range, this was his first experience with the Main Street Players. Margaret Ziem designed the costumes. She has been with Main Street Players since its beginning in 1986, although her theatre experience reaches way beyond the time Main Street Players was even thought of.

Community theatre plays an integral part in the over all theatre community. It can here where the theatre bug bites hard, where beginners can try their wings. Main Street Players celebrates their 21st season, and hopefully as they work with Sinclair they can vie for longer runs to give the actors a chance to fly further, and more people a more lucid calendar option to get their productions scheduled. Short runs are the veins of every actor’s existence. One no sooner gets into the cadence of their character and in the rhythm of the play and it is over.

For Arsenic and Old Lace I have to admit I had a difficult time with the 1890 dresses Abby and Martha Brewster wore. I don’t know of anyone in the 1940s who wore long dresses. Admittedly I was a tadpole then, but they certainly weren’t wearing long dresses in Sacramento, California. Granted these two sisters are slightly off the beaten path psychologically with a metal spring loose connection rattling around in their heads, but even so. Karen Krause took on the role of Abby and Lorraine Scott played Martha. It is not uncommon for two people living together for a long time to take on each other characteristics, Krause and Scott tended to mimic each other particularly in their running toe step dance.

Yes it is community theatre. And the cast was obviously having a grand time. However, I wanted to stop them several times, have them do a whirly gig around the stage a couple of times then tell them to think character and go back to them and allowing the characters to come put to play for a grand romp in their very funny macabre situation of confused information, rattled truth, mistaken identity, and jealous brothers.

Abby and Martha’s brother, Teddy thinks he is President Teddy Roosevelt. Each part of the house represents a crucial part of the President’s life. The basement becomes Panama, as well as a cemetery for the victims of Yellow Fever Teddy thinks he is protecting. Jon Thumim for the most part did a good job with Teddy.

John Brandstetter played Mortimer Brewster, the theatre critic who hates plays, engaged to Elaine Harper, (Lorraine Scott) the daughter of The Rev. Dr. Harper, (Jon Scheer), who distrusts theatre critics. When Mortimer discovers what his aunts are to, poisoning single men looking for a room who have no family with home made Elderberry wine to keep Teddy content, he tries desperately to get rid of Elaine. She’s not about to give up very easily. Scott gave Elaine gumption and determination.

Some very funny moments took place when Jonathan Brewster returns after many years absence along with Dr. Einstein, a questionable plastic surgeon. Jesse Pearlman took on the hard-nosed, looking for a hide out no nonsense Jonathan. Brandon Keller did a very good job with accent and demeanor for Dr. Einstein.

Much of Arsenic and Old Lace depends upon the timing of entrances and exists, and the cast had these down to a tee.

Schell did a beautiful job designing the delicious set for the inside of the old house.

If anything, the cast needed to forget lines and think character so the lines didn’t come off as lines out of book, but rather as a group of a strange mixture of human nature covering up idiosyncrasies. The value of mentioning this fact is that every actor on stage gave strong indication of real artistic ability, and a flair for comedic integrity. Main Street Players is definitely a group to keep an eye on, as well as keep track of their upcoming new productions.

Main Street Players will produce Hello Dolly in cooperation with the Ovation Players and the Littleton Community Music Association. It will be directed by Annawyn Shamas, with music direction by Lori May, and choreography by Kathy Kautz.