Talented, Diverse Cast Makes “Arsenic” Go Down Easy

As reviewed by Adam Sweeney

In many ways, Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace” is not a standard play.  It has an uphill battle, after all: a play about serial killing senior citizens, mental health and Boris Karloff played for laughs is bound to have its detractors.  Considering this, the tone the director and cast members strike is paramount to the success of the production.

Director Kevin Colvin is a natural at affecting the necessary tone for the material.  The play is a delicate balancing act between broad slapstick and legitimately suspenseful scenes.  Even more impressive is the care given to each of the characters.  It would be nearly impossible to be entertained by the proceedings if the characters presented as reprehensible or pure evil.

Actors Kimberly Vogt and Tammy Ackman Thompson play The Brewster Sisters, a pair of accommodating, caring seniors who help those less fortunate by, well, killing them.  The brilliance of these performances is you, as the audience, never detest the sisters.  They are prim, proper and make you believe they actually care about the people they help.  Vogt and Ackman Thompson have the chemistry, charisma and comedic timing that harkens back to The Golden Age of Comedy.

Their nephew Mortimer, portrayed by Will Bandla, seems to be the only normal one in his family.  Bandla plays Mortimer with such live-wire intensity, it’s like watching a man trying to keep all the plates spinning at a carnival.  Essentially, his character is continually putting out fires.  He finds out about his aunts, the murders, the bodies in the basement, all while maintaining a relationship and reconnecting with his estranged brother, Jonathan.

It’s an uneasy reunion as Jonathan, portrayed by Paul Cayen, arrives with his partner-in-crime Dr. Einstein.  It’s an awkward conundrum for Mortimer between the overt threat of these new arrivals and perhaps the more insidious threat of his aunts.  Dr. Einstein, played by Scott Bandla, commands the stage every time he walks on.  His comedic timing is impeccable and is a delight to watch.

It cannot be understated how well the entire cast plays off of one another.  Top to bottom, lead or supporting role, everyone is at the top of their game.  Director Colvin clearly put a lot of work into the characterizations and working with the actors.  Never once during the production did the energy lag.  Never once did people shift in their seats or check their watches.  We were all engaged from beginning to end.

Local theater is always worth supporting and when it’s as fun and engaging as this, it makes the decision incredibly easy.

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