Unionville High School's Recipe for Success: Arsenic and Old Lace

Theater Name: Unionville High School
Show Name: Arsenic and Old Lace
Reviewer: Mary Siki
Opening Night: November 30, 2007
Seen: December 14, 2007
Submitted: December 15, 2007

Take one teaspoon full of talent, a half teaspoon full of comedy, and just a pinch of murder, and you get one show with “quite a kick.”  Last weekend, Unionville High School brought to life the timeless comedy of Arsenic and Old Lace.

First appearing on Broadway in 1941, Arsenic and Old Lace was written by Joseph Kesselring in 1939.  The film adaptation directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant was released in 1944.  The plotline develops around the Brewster’s family house where the two elderly aunts, Abby and Martha, run their charity.  Their charity involves taking in older men who have no other family and giving them peace: peace being a glass of Elderberry wine poisoned with arsenic, strychnine, and cyanide and a final resting place in the basement.

The show was very well done.  The attention to detail in the set and the staging was evident.  Each actor embodied his or her character and was always acting on stage.  Another big factor was that the play flowed.  There wasn’t any empty space.  Even when breaks in dialogue occurred, physical action and comedy filled it perfectly.

The dynamic duo of the Brewster sisters, played by Karen Manley (Abby) and Savannah Hankinson (Martha), stole the show.  They fully embraced their elderly persona, and each had her own idiosyncrasies.  Tim O’Brien, who played Mortimer Brewster, not only possessed great comic timing but also had a wonderful stage presence.  Elaine Harper, played by Haley Janczuk, had good stage presence as well and had good chemistry with O’Brien.

The comedic roles in this show were very well played.  Daniel Woislaw, who played Teddy Brewster, got the audience laughing with his great impersonations of Teddy Roosevelt.  Will Baillett (Dr. Einstein) had great timing and physical comedy.  His accent was good and worked well with Greg O’Neill (Jonathan Brewster).  The character of Jonathan Brewster was very well acted by O’Neill.

Technically, everything was good.  The lack of body microphones posed a small problem in the beginning of the show and some small lines throughout.  The use of the blue lighting for the dark scenes was very effective.  It gave the audience a little light to see what was going on and still gave the effect of a dark room.  The play revolved around one set, but the layout of the multi-layered set allowed action to take place in various parts, preventing any feeling of monotony.

Unionville High School’s cast had an air of professionalism about them.  Their production of Arsenic and Old Lace proved to be brilliant.