[NEohioPAL] Review of "Arsenic and Old Lace" at Fine Arts Association

[Bob Abelman]

Fine Arts' 'Arsenic and Old Lace' offers homicide with well-honed humor  

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 10/18/13

 

Great Lakes Theater's current production of "Sweeney Todd" is not the only place to find manslaughter served up with a dose of macabre humor and a side of charm.  A delightful rendition of the classic comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace" has made its way to the Fine Arts Association stage in Willoughby.

The story features the two aged Brewster sisters who, in woefully misguided acts of kindness, relieve lonely men of their lives and bury them in the basement of their old Brooklyn manor. 

Their young nephew, Mortimer, is not only alarmed by their brutal benevolence but concerned that their brand of crazy is contagious.  After all, his brother Teddy thinks he's Roosevelt and his other brother Jonathan is a homicidal maniac on the lam.  Insanity doesn't just run in his family, he tells his fiancée Elaine, "it practically gallops." 


There is no ignoring the fact that Joseph Kesselring's quirky "Arsenic and Old Lace" has not aged well since it was first produced on Broadway in 1941.  Dated references abound but it is the play's parodic, Addams Family-esque take on the typical American Family that no longer resonates.  The play's three-act structure also stretches thin the comedy best suited for two, at least by today's standards.


Now residing almost exclusively within the realm of community theater, "Arsenic and Old Lace" is often played big and broad to help shake the dust off its antique frame.  This approach can prove as poisonous as the Brewster sisters' elderberry wine if not executed with the proper panache.  It can call attention to, rather than distract from, the play's datedness.


Fortunately, this FAA production has found an effective formula for presentation by embracing the "casual point of view" that The New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson found "so robustly entertaining" about the original production.  Director James Mango deftly allows the sisters to be the absurd calm amidst the storm that they have created, while having the other players play with some restraint.  


Libby Siegel Hill and Lois Davis are wonderful as the innocently scheming spinsters, casually going about their dirty business as if preparing for a church picnic.  They are absolutely charming, and their charm serves as a hilarious counterpoint to the heinous crimes they commit.


Justin Steck is perfect as Mortimer Brewster.  He allows his character's calm façade to fade and then collapse under pressure rather than explode once he discovers what his aunts are up to.  His many double-takes are impeccably timed and with just enough physicality to cause rather than coerce a laugh.  He earns many laughs throughout the production.

 

Similarly, Greg Gnau as Teddy permits his implicitly funny antics to speak for themselves rather than force the issue. The same is true for Robert McCoy as Jonathan.  McCoy plays everything close to the vest, which allows his character to be deliciously menacing rather than outrageously maniacal.  His performance is nicely complemented by Jim Hill, whose mad-scientist approach to Jonathan's evil sidekick, Dr. Einstein, is often hilarious.

 

Acting by the rest of the ensemble is a somewhat imbalanced affair, ranging from stagey overreacting to underplaying comedic or character developing opportunities.  However, these are minor disturbances given the wonderful core performances that drive this production.  

 

Michael Roesch's stately manor set design fills the stage and is superb.  Its deceptive hominess could have easily been enhanced with more clutter of charming keepsakes and personal artifacts.  The open space telegraphs the mayhem about to take place, particularly when JR Simons' melodramatic lighting kicks in.

 

All in all, the Fine Arts Association's season starts off on a positive note:  vintage "Arsenic and Old Lace" done well.

 

"Arsenic and Old Lace" continues through October 27 at the Fine Arts Association's Corning Auditorium in Willoughby. For information or tickets, which are $20, call 440-951-7500 or visit www.fineartsassociation.org.


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