Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic black comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family.

Mortimer Brewster’s engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in the window seat of his elderly aunts’ boarding house. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves, only to learn that they are not just aware of the dead man in their parlour; they were the ones who killed him!!

Between his aunts’ penchant for poisoning wine, a brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and a second brother using plastic surgery to hide from the police—not to mention Mortimer’s own indecision about marrying—it will be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his wedding.

Arsenic and Old Lace is a timeless and classic comedy that was a hit both on Broadway and in the West End. It was my first experience in this famous play on stage and I wondered why I had waited so long. It is a fun show, and Beaumaris did it very well.

Peter Newland, Director, has directed 38 full-length plays over 30 years. He has also directed one-act plays and shows for the Adelaide, Edinburgh, and Melbourne Fringe Festival. This is his second show with Beaumaris Theatre, having previously directed The Odd Couple in 2013.

Peter describes Arsenic and Old Lace as a rite of passage for anyone involved in community theatre. “It’s a well-written play with an unpredictable plotline and fast-paced comedy,” says Peter. “It has stood the test of time.”

Peter’s extensive directing experience was demonstrated in how confidently the actors moved around the stage and how they supported and sustained the plot scaffolding he crafted.

This Arsenic and Old Lace had a cast of eleven, and each of them did a sterling job of contributing to the plotline and conveying their characters. The two landladies were Abby Brewster, played by Carol Shelbourn, and Martha Brewster, played by Stephnie King. Abby and Stephanie worked well together and made believable loveable murderesses. Mortimer Brewster, played by David Cowell, adopted an enthusiastic Cary Grant accent and did well as a man beleaguered by his crazy, dysfunctional family. Damian Coffey played the crazy Teddy Roosevelt with great gusto.

The set designed and built by Sally Flemming and Chris Churchward authentically contributed to the era and needs of the production. Between them, Sally and Chris boast more than 50 years of on and off-stage experience. If you add up all the years of theatrical experience by the performers, creatives and production crew of this production, it might be centuries.

American playwright Joseph Kesselring wrote this farcical black comedy in 1939, the best-known of his twelve published plays. Kesselring’s inspiration is believed to be the boarding house where he resided during college and the plotline may be based on a real-life old lady who murdered boarders and poisoned them for their pensions.

The best-known iteration of the show is the famous movie of the same name, which starred Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, and a host of other famous second-string actors of the time and was directed by Frank Capra in 1944. Other productions include a TV movie with Bob Crane (Hogan’s Heroes) in 1969 and another with Tony Randall (The Odd Couple) and Boris Karloff in 1962.

I look forward to the next time I experience Arsenic and Old Lace.

Jane Court