Arsenic and Old Lace, a dark comedy written over 85 years ago by Joseph Kesselring, is playing at the Coronado Playhouse (CPH) on weekends through September 6. Directed by Kira Blaskovich, the CPH cast does an excellent job capturing both the physical comedy and the absurdity of the play.
In 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace was made into a Frank Capra film starring Cary Grant, and the Coronado Playhouse rendition retains the feel of a screwball comedy from the war years. The script winks at the world of theater by making the protagonist a harsh theater critic.
Paul Bonner plays Mortimer, a nephew who discovers that his sweet old aunties are poisoning lonely old men out of sympathy. The aunties, played by Amy Dell and Kat Fitzpatrick, defend their actions as perfectly reasonable and vow that all men receive a Christian burial. They are unperturbed by the twelve bodies in their basement — bodies buried by their delusional brother, played by Mark Holley, who believes he is President Teddy Roosevelt digging the Panama Canal. The villain, brother Jonathan, is played by Steven Jensen, with a convincing Boris Karloff imitation.
In the play, Mortimer is the straight man, surrounded by kooks. Bonner steals the show with his physical comedy and over-the-top reactions. The villain’s minion, Dr. Einstein, is played by Joseph Vitti with perfect buffoonery.Â
The lighting designer handled challenging scene tasks — like moving the dead bodies out of the window seat — by keeping the stage dark, which helped the audience to stay in the moment. One missed opportunity was using more sound effects to highlight the comedy. Other than the choice of WWII music during the intermission, the sound choices weren’t noticeable.Â
I do recommend seeing Arsenic and Old Lace as the entire cast does a superb job with this old-fashioned comedy. There is something nostalgic about a goofy comedy written with the intent of making Americans laugh to escape from their wartime worries. The play is a fitting choice for the Coronado Playhouse’s 80th anniversary season, as it was founded in 1946.
The Coronado Playhouse is a community theater located at 1835 Strand Way, Coronado. Arsenic and Old Lace runs from August 14-September 6, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. To purchase tickets visit their website coronadoplayhouse.org or call 619-435-4856.
