Review: Georgetown Palace at the Playhouse Theatre Brings the Classic ARSENIC AND OLD LACE to the Stage

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, is a classic staple for modern Theatre enthusiasts. Taking into account the context of the political humor and dark comedy, it is hard to believe this show was first brought to the stage in 1941. A New York Times review of it's opening night stated the play was, "so funny that none of us will ever forget it." Best known for it's film of the same decade, this adaptation stars Cary Grant and is directed by the celebrated Frank Capra. After hitting the big screen, this dark comedic farce has been brought to a much wider audience and became a local theatre favorite.

Georgetown Palace is currently running ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, in their quaint black box across the street from the main theatre. This intimate space is appropriate and invites the audience into the Brewster's living room to bare witness to their odd ethics and unconventional reasoning.

Set in mid-20th century Brooklyn, the peculiar Brewster clan exhibits every meaning of unorthodoxy, making their unraveling story more interesting to piece together. Abby Brewster (played by Kaye Thompson) and Martha Brewster (played by Barb Jernigan) embody the devout, sweet little old ladies down the street, whom nobody would suspect of any misdeeds. Their extended family includes Mortimer Brewster (played by Jake Maspero) a rather pessimistic and eccentric theatre critic, Teddy Brewster (played by Tom Bristoll) a peculiar adult man-child who is convinced he is Teddy Roosevelt, and their estranged brother, Jonathon Brewster (played by Clint Cox). As crimes are uncovered, the action and hilarity builds throughout this classically written dark comedy.

The actresses portraying the Brewster sisters displayed the innocence and mild arrogance needed for such a dramatic and hilarious premise. Their comedic timing seemed accidental, adding more shock from the audience to their reasoning justifying literal murder. Their exchanges and use of the script were funny, but lacked the energy and speed needed to make their performance hilarious. Although these ladies spoke the parts written, there was more chemistry needed to make this an outstanding performance.

Mortimer Brewster definitely brought the energy and heightened emotion to the stage along with fellow actor Peter Wilde playing Dr. Einstein. Mortimer took on the role of moving the story along and did well to play the highs and lows between his unraveling family, shaky engagement to Elaine Harper (played by Kristin DeGroot), but needed to be reined-in during certain moments. It felt as though Mortimer was making up for the low energy in the show and was attempting to speed it along with confused excitement. He and pistol-whipping Elaine had the best exchanges on stage, but most of the comedy comes directly from the script, and not the choices from actors and direction. In some instances, it seemed Maspero was cracking himself up, quite unexpectedly breaking character on stage multiple times for reasons unknown to the audience. Maspero would do well to focus more on telling the story and arc of Mortimer Brewster, rather than checking in and out of his performance.

Much of Dr. Einstein's comedy was completely lost because he was genuinely difficult to understand. This is understandable, as Wilde is working to affect an 'authentic' Eastern-European accent, but the accent wasn't the issue. He screamed his lines at a decibel much higher than necessary and this negatively impacted the delivery in a substantial way. A few moments were indeed funny with this choice, but for the length of time this bit was kept up, it grew tired and distracting for audience members.

A highlight in the show was whenever Elaine entered a scene. She commanded the stage and added a nice arc to her character's story and strained relationship with the critical Mortimer. Her sight gags were funny, and as she pranced around onstage her entrances and exits were uplifting and added another element to the Brewster mystery.

Overall, the show was enjoyable and the references of the time-period are quite hilarious. The show needed more fine-tuned direction for such an intricate and smart comedy, and actors more confident with the subtle methods required. That said, this was still a highly enjoyable production filled with laughs and charming moments. All theatrical fans need to see ARSENIC AND OLD LACE to learn the history and fantastic writing this show brings to life.

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE

WRITTEN BY: JOSEPH KESSELRING

PALACE AT The Playhouse

SEPT 9TH - OCT 2ND

PHOTO CREDIT: Maggie Thompson

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