A Spoonful of Wine Helps The Poison Go Down: Arsenic & Old Lace at Bowie Community Theare
author: Chris Pence
Don’t drink the wine at Bowie Community Theatre! Joseph Kesselring’s 1939 classic black comedy Arsenic & Old Lace follows Mortimer Brewster, a theatre critic who comes home to 1930’s Brooklyn to announce to his beloved Aunts Abby and Martha that he’s engaged to Elaine Harper, the reverend’s daughter. Sounds like a sweet story, right? Not so much. When Mortimer finds a dead body in his aunts’ house, he learns that his dear old spinster aunts have been purposefully poisoning lonely old men in the neighborhood! With the help of Mortimer’s delusional brother Teddy, who believes himself to be former President Theodore Roosevelt, the ladies have been burying the bodies in their cellar! If that wasn’t enough, Mortimer’s long estranged brother Jonathon, a murderous Boris Karloff lookalike, comes home seeking refuge from the police, bringing along his drunken assistant, Dr. Einstein (not THAT Dr. Einstein, Doctor HERMAN Einstein), and a dead body of his own! Hilarity ensues, as Mortimer struggles to conceal his aunts’ evil deeds, Jonathon plots revenge against his least favorite brother, and Teddy wages imaginary battles, climbing the steps with blasts from his bugle and screams of “CHAAAAAARGE!!!” Kesselring’s best-known work, Arsenic was turned into a 1944 Frank Capra film starring Cary Grant and Peter Lorre, with Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, and John Alexander reprising their roles from the original 1941 Broadway production (Karloff himself couldn’t be given a break to shoot the film, as he was still starring in the stage production).
Randy Tusing directs a classic vision of the murderous masterpiece with a tremendous cast. Tusing’s dedication to period is apparent in the set design, props, and costumes. In particular, Teddy’s menagerie of props, such as period appropriate toys and “Africa” gear, bring raucous laughter from the audience. With the assistance of intimacy/fight coordinator Mallory Shear, Tusing manages his cast well, preserving the mannerisms or the play’s 1930’s setting. There were a few moments when Tusing’s direction stunted the scene. A close call with the poisoned wine during the show’s climax was a bit predictable, thanks to an early entry, and the whole exchange was blocked by a table. This lost the cast a valuable laugh, but, overall, Tusing does a fine job.
Maria Mitiuriev manages the stage aptly, with the help of crewmembers Penni Barnett and Sarah Schauffler. Schauffler also doubles as costume designer and does well in keeping to the wacky yet time-appropriate setting. Teddy’s various uniforms are as fitting they are funny, and the aunts’ delightful little outfits help to reinforce the strangeness of sweet little old ladies who are also serial killers. Their funerial outfits look like they came straight from Capra’s film, quaint little macabre pieces that add to the hilarity. Schauffler’s best choice in costuming involves Mr. Spenalzo, a “cold companion” of Jonathon’s. Schauffler’s choice to use blood red shoes on the dummy ensures that they are well seen when a certain doctor steals them later in the show, sending a ripple of whispers and giggles through the crowd.
For hair and makeup, Maureen Roult leads the cast in creating understated, realistic portrayals of character. Jonathon’s realistic scars add an authenticity to the horror that is Jonathon, though don’t do much to create the illusion that he looks like Karloff. The aunts’ blue-haired wigs also bring an authenticity to the characters, making them look like Granny from the Looney Tunes. A little more makeup to disguise the ladies’ real hair would do well to seal the illusion, but all-in-all, the wigs were a viable choice.
Set designer David Chalmers and set decorator Roy Hammond bring the charming little murder mansion to life, with old dusty portraits, ugly wallpaper, and timely furnishings. Electric candles line the walls, and table-set candelabras create an eerie sense about the house. Outside the house, Chalmers does well to further the illusion, with realistic paintings and set pieces outside the doors that restrict the audience’s backstage view. One door did seem to get stuck during production, either because of the set design, or because someone had accidentally locked it. Either way, this created a moment of spontaneous laughter as the actor involved handled the slip-up perfectly. Chalmers’ set was also very practical, placing the window seat containing the victims very near the cellar door, allowing the actors easy access during the scenes where they must move the bodies.
Sound designer Mo Hopper elects to use no microphones in the production, lending to the legitimacy of the story, but leaving it hard to hear some actors, who tend to speak a little too fast when delivering punchlines. This also led to struggles when actors would deliver lines with their backs to the audience, which muffled the sound so that some punchlines were lost. Perhaps a change in direction, or maybe a few hanging mics would help to alleviate this issue.
Bowie Playhouse Staff oversees the lighting design for this production. Though not a flashy show, the aforementioned candles generate a spooky air about the house when lights are low, flickering in the darkness. A deep blue lighting is used during the movement of the bodies, allowing the actors’ silhouettes to do the work, and ensuring the actor’s safety as well as the audience’s line of view.
Arsenic would be nothing without those crazy old spinsters, the Brewster Sisters. Kim Bessler (Abby) and Joanne Bauer (Martha) bring the lovely little psychopaths to life with a sweetness that belies the Sisters’ lethal tendencies. While they’re all business when talking about the dead bodies, the Sisters share a few moments of adorable excitement, with sing-song delivery and excitement. Bauer’s Martha gets a little too eager to join in on an amputation, and the way she lights up when sharing her poisonous recipe with Mortimer lets it be known early on that this is not her first time mixing up the noxious concoction. Bessler’s sincerity to Abby makes it clear to all involved that this is her home, grabbing the brothers by the ear during arguments, and breaking down almost to tears when Mortimer nearly accuses her of telling a fib (GASP!). These women prove that even sweet little old ladies have their darker side, so be careful what you drink when you’re around them.
Mortimer Brewster (Joey Rolandelli), the true “everyman” of our story, is a snotty, dopey character who can’t seem to get out of his own way. Rolandelli seems to channel Kelsey Grammer’s “Dr. Frasier Crane,” delivering stellar punchlines and nonverbal reactions that set the house afire with laughter. A particular hit with the audience was when Mortimer proposed, “Perhaps I’ll save some time if I write my review on the way to the theatre” (Hey, it worked for this reviewer… ????). During a mishap when the front door wouldn’t open, Rolandelli didn’t miss a beat, shouting in exasperation, “I’m outside!” This moment of confusion just added to Mortimer’s madcap night, in an excellent moment of character work by Rolandelli.
Elaine Harper (Eliza Geib), Mortimer’s fiancé and the Reverand’s daughter, throws one more monkey wrench into Mortimer’s night. Geib plays Elaine with gusto, an eager young woman hungry for a husband. Her almost innocent delivery of some not-so-subtle hints to Mortimer about their relationship bring perfect balance to Mortimer’s hysteria. Just when the audience thinks Mort may finally be settling down to show Elaine the affection she so desires, he tosses her off in favor of dealing with the mess in his aunts’ house. Rolandelli’s last-second punchlines, coupled with Geib’s understandable impatience are exceptional in portraying the young couple.
Amanda Matousek takes “CHAAAARGE!” of her every scene as the delusionally hilarious Teddy Brewster. Matousek’s Teddy mimics President Theodore Roosevelt’s proper ways well, moving in 90-degree angles and demanding respect from everyone, even those he hasn’t met yet. Matousek also does well to remind us that this man is NOT, in fact, the former president; With superb breaks in character during moments when he becomes a little too excitable, Matousek’s Teddy takes just a second to compose himself before transforming back into the rough riding general. A stuffed bear serves as Teddy’s constant companion, as well as a similar reminder that this man just thinks he’s Theodore Roosevelt (in reality, Theodore Roosevelt hated teddy bears, and the nickname “Teddy”). To Amanda’s performance, we can only say, “BULLY!”
Jonathon Brewster, the dark horse of the family, is performed ably by Roy Hammond. No stranger to the role, Hammond portrays Jonathon more as a vicious, serial killing artiste than a Karloff movie villain. His reminiscences of his former killings feel more like art projects to him, and he’s quick to defend his work when his companion questions his methods. This is compounded during an attempted attack on his brother, when Hammond dons an old-fashioned doctor’s mirror and shows off his mutilation tools with pride. With a well-timed jump scare at the Brewsters’ window, and matching look of confusion, Hammond’s Jonathon presents as almost relatable, just a man trying to move on in life (while the police chase him and he’s leaving bodies in his wake).
Jonathon’s drunken associate, Doctor Einstein (Marc Rehr), is just a man with nowhere to go. He and Jonathon have gotten stuck together, and all he has now is trying to be the voice of reason, even when reason escapes him. Rehr plays the doctor with great restraint, popping up here and there to toss in a laugh line or two. He does well not to upstage anyone, adding just enough commentary to get a laugh. Rehr adopts a German/Yiddish accent when playing the character, who seems to be at everyone else’s disposal more than his own. Whether sporting Teddy’s oversized pith helmet or Mr. Spenalzo’s blood red shoes, Rehr doesn’t have to try to be funny, he just is.
The Brooklyn police force that guards the Brewster house adds even more hilarity as these Keystone Kop wannabes just seem to make everything worse. Savannah Brooks as Officer O’Hara shows the frustrations of a dream deferred, depicting O’Hara as an excitable writer stuck in a dead-end job, eager to share his ideas for a theatre script with anyone who will listen (or who’s been tied up). Officers Brophy and Klein (Alan Barnett and Emery Sheriff, respectively) prove that it’s not what you know (they don’t know much anyway…), but who you know, as they pal around with the Brewster Sisters, who are confident that their disastrous deeds will be forgiven because they know (and frequently feed) the neighborhood officers. At the head of the department, Lieutenant Rooney (Dionne Belk) is a no-nonsense, tough-as-nails supervisor, who commands the scene from the second she walks through the door. Annoyed by her force and irked by the late hour, Rooney lets the clues slip right by her in hysterical fashion.
Rounding out the cast are John Cholod (Reverend Harper/Mr. Witherspoon) and Alan Barnett (Mr. Gibbs). While the two don’t spend much time onstage, they produce a sense of normalcy in the otherwise insane world of the Brewster house. Whether it be Harper’s early visit to lay out exposition, Gibbs’ frantic crawling exit during Mortimer’s freakout, or Witherspoon’s final visit with the Sisters, Cholod and Barnett create memorable moments that help to ground the audience before burying them waist-deep in the Brewster bruhaha.
A funny, ridiculous romp, BTC’s Arsenic & Old Lace plays through September 8th of this year at The Bowie Playhouse in the woods.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with two intermissions
Arsenic & Old Lace plays through September 8th 2024 with Bowie Community Theatre at Bowie Playhouse— 16500 White Marsh Park Dr in Bowie, MD. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 301-805-0219 or by purchasing them in advance online.
