By Jennifer Mustoe
Arsenic and Old Lace, the classic by Joseph Kesselring, comes to Highland and the laughs are many. Opening night had a full house, parents, grandparents, kids, and young adults. This is a show that appealed to all.
The story is…”unusual.” The Brewster sisters, Abby (Kathy Castleton) and Martha (Kittie Tenney) old maids and dotty as can be, run a boarding house and “help” the lonely old men who come to rent a room find their eternal reward by poisoning them with homemade elderberry wine. Their nephew Mortimor (Joshua Hawkins) is aghast when he finds out about the dead bodies buried in the basement, and is even more horrified when he finds out that his aunts are very cavalier, even proud of their “hobby”–they consider it a charity. The aunts give the grave digging in the basement to Teddy Brewster (Scott Merrill), who thinks he’s President Teddy Roosevelt and is burying Yellow Fever victims. Also figuring in the story is Elaine Harper (Angela Dell), Mortimer’s sexy girlfriend-then-fiance, who seems normal compared to this nutter family. When Mortimer’s brother Jonathan (Ryan Hulet) arrives with his sidekick Dr. Einstein (Rachel Ebeling) and we realize that these two are sociopathic murderers, we never know what will happen next.
A variety of police show up and Office Brophy, played by Alexis Grow, is very funny with her Brooklyn accent. Both Castleton and Tenney are also very funny as the Brewster sisters and make the rather lurid plot line really comical. Merrill’s Roosevelt is also very funny, and he seems to glow in this character. Dell and Hawkins are a cute couple and bring a feeling of normalcy to this strange romp. Hawkins’ scenes throughout are very entertaining as he interacts with all characters. Director Melissa Brown has Hawkins play this very deftly, and I love his choices of facial expressions and physical movement that show his confusion, horror, fear, and so forth. I also enjoyed Ebeling’s Dr. Einstein–she is one sneaky actor and does a great job in this role.
Costumes by Jess Nielsen are great. I especially loved the funeral garb the two old ladies don. The hats especially really made the costumes for that scene.
The only issue is the venue, and it’s one I’ve worked IN (The Curious Savage a few years ago) but I never have attended a show as a patron at the Highland Civic Center. It’s a rather small venue (but it was packed!) and you really can’t see much if you arrive even 15 minutes early. They need risers to put the chairs on.
Highland’s Arsenic and Old Lace has a short run–only this weekend and Monday. It will be well-attended if Thursday’s performance is any indication. This is a community that loves its local productions, which is so neat, so come support a funny show with a lot of good acting and a very quirky show!
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Highland City Arts Council presents Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesserling
Highland Civic Center, 5378 W 10400 North, Highland, Utah, 84003
October 26-28, 30 7:00 PM
Tickets: $8.00, $5.00 for children under 12
Highland Arts Council Facebook Page
Arsenic and Old Lace Facebook Event
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