[NEohioPAL]Western reserve Playhouse presents Arsenic and Old Lace (Review)

[Marie Dusini]

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WRP has hit with ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ 



By David Ritchey 
BATH — “Arsenic and Old Lace” still holds the audience’s attention after more than 60 years on the stage. Western Reserve Playhouse (WRP) is offering a strong production of this American classic. 
Playwright Joseph Kesselring had only one hit play, and “Arsenic and Old Lace” is that hit. 
The play is set at the start of World War II. The action takes place in the Brewster home in Brooklyn, N.Y. Abby Brewster (Kathy Turk) and Martha Brewster (Thelma Huttner), two charming sisters, maintain the family home. They share the house with their brother, Teddy (Barry Friedman), who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt and is digging the Panama Canal in the basement of the family home. Why the Panama Canal? This is where the Brewster sisters bury the men they murder with poison-laced Elderberry wine. 
A nephew, Mortimer (Brian Hutchison), is engaged to the daughter of a local minister, who isn’t pleased that his daughter is marrying a man who is a theater critic. 
The action of the story starts moving at a break-neck pace when the bad-guy nephew, Jonathan (Michael Rogen), returns to the family home. Too many plastic surgeries by his friend Dr. Einstein (Jay Dial) has turned Jonathan into a Boris Karloff look-alike (keep in mind this play was on Broadway when Karloff was at the peak of his powers as a movie bad guy. Karloff played this role in the original Broadway production). 
Director Bob Kmeicik assembled a strong cast of local players. Turk and Huttner are two of the most charming senior citizens to grace any stage. In fact, they are so good, the audience quickly forgives their characters for having murdered 12 men and burying them in the basement. They do give each of the men a good Christian funeral service. Huttner’s character describes their hobby as “a mercy.”

Hutchison recreates the role of Mortimer. Hutchison plays Mortimer in a broad, pie-in-the-face comedy style. He has garnered some of the most interesting roles available in this part of Ohio. Last year, he played Joe in “Angels in America” at Weathervane Community Playhouse. 
Friedman plays Teddy, the nephew of the Brewster sisters, in a harmless, yet mad style. Teddy thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and gives Roosevelt the swagger and rough-and-ready style of our former president. Friedman never breaks his well-defined, daffy character. 
Rogen plays Jonathan with good humor and menace. He may be the mad villain, but Rogen never lets us forget that this is a comedy. 
The play has 14 characters. The playwright, director and cast have given each character distinct and interesting quirks. The performers know there is no such thing as a small role, and each commands the stage for his/her turn. 
Walt Kaiminski (set designer) created a warm, cozy, Victorian-style living room for the action of the play. Several people helped build this, one of Western Reserve Playhouse’s best sets. 
“Arsenic and Old Lace” continues on weekends through Oct. 1. For tickets, call (330) 620-7314. 
The playhouse will have a meeting for anyone who is interested in getting involved with the theater Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. at the playhouse. The board that oversees the playhouse is considering dissolving the playhouse for lack of interest from people wanting to help out with productions. For more information, call (216) 941-0800. 

David Ritchey has a Ph.D. in communications and is a professor of communications at The University of Akron. He is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association. 
 


>From left, Thelma Huttner, Kathy Turk and Dave Hinebaugh share a scene in Western Reserve Playhouse’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

 Photo: Michael Kermizis 


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<DIV>
<H2>WRP has hit with ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ </H2>
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<P><SPAN class=text61>By David Ritchey </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>BATH — “Arsenic and Old Lace” still holds the audience’s attention after more than 60 years on the stage. Western Reserve Playhouse (WRP) is offering a strong production of this American classic. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>Playwright Joseph Kesselring had only one hit play, and “Arsenic and Old Lace” is that hit. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>The play is set at the start of World War II. The action takes place in the Brewster home in Brooklyn, N.Y. Abby Brewster (Kathy Turk) and Martha Brewster (Thelma Huttner), two charming sisters, maintain the family home. They share the house with their brother, Teddy (Barry Friedman), who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt and is digging the Panama Canal in the basement of the family home. Why the Panama Canal? This is where the Brewster sisters bury the men they murder with poison-laced Elderberry wine. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>A nephew, Mortimer (Brian Hutchison), is engaged to the daughter of a local minister, who isn’t pleased that his daughter is marrying a man who is a theater critic. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>The action of the story starts moving at a break-neck pace when the bad-guy nephew, Jonathan (Michael Rogen), returns to the family home. Too many plastic surgeries by his friend Dr. Einstein (Jay Dial) has turned Jonathan into a Boris Karloff look-alike (keep in mind this play was on Broadway when Karloff was at the peak of his powers as a movie bad guy. Karloff played this role in the original Broadway production). </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>Director Bob Kmeicik assembled a </SPAN><SPAN class=text54>strong cast of local players. Turk and Huttner are two of the most charming senior citizens to grace any stage. In fact, they are so good, the audience quickly forgives their characters for having murdered 12 men and burying them in the basement. They do give each of the men a good Christian funeral service. Huttner’s character describes their hobby as “a mercy.”<BR></SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>Hutchison recreates the role of Mortimer. Hutchison plays Mortimer in a broad, pie-in-the-face comedy style. He has garnered some of the most interesting roles available in this part of Ohio. Last year, he played Joe in “Angels in America” at Weathervane Community Playhouse. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>Friedman plays Teddy, the nephew of the Brewster sisters, in a harmless, yet mad style. Teddy thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and gives Roosevelt the swagger and rough-and-ready style of our former president. Friedman never breaks his well-defined, daffy character. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>Rogen plays Jonathan with good humor and menace. He may be the mad villain, but Rogen never lets us forget that this is a comedy. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>The play has 14 characters. The playwright, director and cast have given each character distinct and interesting quirks. The performers know there is no such thing as a small role, and each commands the stage for his/her turn. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>Walt Kaiminski (set designer) created a warm, cozy, Victorian-style living room for the action of the play. Several people helped build this, one of Western Reserve Playhouse’s best sets. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>“Arsenic and Old Lace” continues on </SPAN><SPAN class=text54>weekends through Oct. 1. For tickets, call (330) 620-7314. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text54>The playhouse will have a meeting for anyone who is interested in getting involved with the theater Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. at the playhouse. The board that </SPAN><SPAN class=text54>oversees the playhouse is considering dissolving the playhouse for lack of interest from people wanting to help out with productions. For more information, call (216) 941-0800. </SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text60><BR></SPAN><SPAN class=text60>David Ritchey has a Ph.D. in communications and is a professor of communications at The University of Akron. He is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association. </SPAN>
<P><IMG height=144 src="http://www.akron.com/20050915/images/Spots_Arsenic499_Copy37.gif" width=210> 
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<P><SPAN class=text28>From left, Thelma Huttner, Kathy Turk and Dave Hinebaugh share a scene in Western Reserve Playhouse’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace.”<BR></SPAN>
<P><SPAN class=text23> Photo: Michael Kermizis </SPAN></P></DIV>
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