The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 29, 1980, Page Page 11, Image 13
'Arsenical
stale in H
By Cyndle Larsen
Qamocock Staff Wrtt?r
In theatre there is a place for
sensationalism hut in a nlav like
Arsenic and Old Lace, Tuesday
night at Workshop Theatre, it
certainly did not belong.
Arsenic and Old Lace, a timeless
play by Joseph Kesselring, opened
on Broadway in 1941, and enjoyed
great success. Two dear, but
mentally unbalanced, spinster
sisters, unable to curb their in
curable appetite to do good, invite
old gentlemen into their home and
poison them for their own good ...
namely to alleviate their
loneliness. Teddy, the mad
nephew, deducts that the men are
yellow fever victims, and neatly
burries them in the cellar. Teddy's
long lost brother shows up with a
cfiff nf Viic nuin Ac Mnrtimor tho
third brother, explains to his
fiancee, "You see, insanity runs in
my family; it practically gallops."
THE MOV IK, released in 1944,
starring Cary Grant and Peter
Lorre. and the Dlav Droved most
successful presumably because it
suited audiences to poke fun at
death during the war years.
But by the performance at
Workshop Theatre on Tuesday
night, one would be hard pressed to
guess that Arsenic and Old Lace is
still considered one of the best
plays of the twentieth century.
Kesselring's excellent drama
making light of death is made ohso-heavy
by the cast and director,
RanHall Rrnuinina
AVUIIVIUJi UTTIilllg.
THE TWO LEAD roles, Abby
and Martha Brewster, are played
by Cary Crouch and Callie
Thigpen. Amiable and kind as the
two little old ladies are, they are
still the two strongest characters
in the play, or shall I say, should
be. After all, they do have the wits
to murder a dozen old men,
1 A. At. _ A. _ e A.% I J
unnnown 10 me resi 01 me wona.
While Thigpen did an adequate
job portraying the character of
Martha Brewster, though a little
weak. Crouch really missed the
boat. She could have been
anywhere from a senile 20 to 60
years of age. Her motivation for
her movements and conversation
were not evident, unless it was to
merely enlighten the audience to
. the fact that she was alive and
breathing and capable of altering
her vocal pitch. Just because an
actress sensationalizes her role
does not mean she successfully
establishes her character, and the
audience cannot be fooled into
believing what is not believable.
THE BEST performance was
given by Rex Wilson, who played
the nutty nejJhew who believed he
was Teddy Roosevelt. Not only did
Wilson give an excellent and
hilarious performance as Teddy
Brewster, he did very well as
Teddy impersonating Roosevelt. If
anything could have saved the
play, Wilson was it.
Martha Ivey, who played the
flighty fiancee of Mortimer
Brewster, did well in her role as
Elaine Harper. Mike Collins,
playing Mortimer, the only sane
Brewster, did a notable job in
characterizing the shocked and
disbelieving young nephew.
PhnrliA P#?t*?rsnn past as Jonathan
Brewster, the homocidal insane
asylum escapee who looks like
Boris ,Karloft, did a good job as
Boris Karloft ? not Jonathan
Brewster.
IT MIGHT BE noted that for a
play set in Brooklyn, N.Y., the
characters all came off as being
very much southern. If the cast
was unable to assume Brooklynite
snppfh nnH mannpr Rrnwnina
could have at least taken the
trouble to designate another setting
in the stage bill.
Overall, Workshop Theatre was
not able to instill life to A rsenic and
Old Lace, but the superior script
alone should be enough to carry the
play until it closes on March 2.
id Old Lac
*r%. #
ri/i
rehearse for Workshop's .
Ola Lace.
A
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