Town and Gown gets a little crazy

February 02, 2008 11:06 pm

— Town and Gown Theatre takes on screwball comedy in “Arsenic and Old Lace,” which opens Thursday.
The play, the third of the theater’s 57th season, was written by Joseph Kesselring and is directed by T&G veteran Paul Weber.
“This is the classic screwball comedy from an era that produced so many great comedies,” Weber said. “It has fast-paced dialogue, eccentric characters and an improbable plot that comes together nicely at the end of the show.”
The play was originally produced in the 1940s, and Weber has maintained its original feel.
“The cast and I are trying to stage the show in the same spirit that it was first produced,” he said. “It is not modernized in any way. Everything from music, the set, costumes and props will make the audience feel ‘the virtues of another day’.”
The comedy follows Mortimer (Shane O’Mealey) a theater-hating drama critic; his two spinster aunts (Diane Keenom and Cindy Sheets) who take to poisoning lonely men with homemade wine laced with arsenic and just a pinch of cyanide; a brother (Kyle Shifflett) who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt; and a murderous brother (Kevin Gerfen) who received plastic surgery from an alcoholic accomplice (Kevin Worley) to conceal his identity and subsequently looks like horror-film actor Boris Karloff.
Keenom and Sheets both said they have enjoyed playing the Brewster sisters.
“Aunt Martha could be everyone’s sweet old aunt,” said Sheets. “She is accommodating and thoughtful and hates to see anyone suffer — which is what makes her dangerous.”
Keenom added, “Funny is funny no matter what era a play is set in and this play is funny.”
Rounding out Weber’s cast are Ashley Hodges as Elaine Harper, Chad Chester as the Rev. Dr. Harper, Vance Black as Lt. Rooney, Jack Hodgson and Jacob Boyd as policemen and Jim Gray as Mr. Witherspoon.
Several new people, along with veteran T&G members, are helping with the technical aspects of the show. Crew members include Micki White, stage manager; Dawn Wilson, production coordinator; Diane Morton, costumes; Sarah Johnston, sound board operator and props; Debbie Sutton, hair stylist; Janice James, light board operator; and Susan Weber, assistant director.
This is the third time that Town & Gown has produced “Arsenic and Old Lace.”
“We tend to produce this show about every 20 years because the patrons love it. The actors remember seeing and want to be in it,” said Susan Weber. “I can see T&G reprising it again in another 20 years, but come see this production first.
“We have a show on Valentine’s Day and it would be a great show to take your sweetheart to see.”
“Arsenic and Old Lace” will run Feb. 7-10 and Feb. 14-17. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a 2:30 matinee on Sunday.
The box office opens Monday at 11 a.m. at 372-9122.

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