‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ Is Alive and Kicking at Sunset Playhouse

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Sunset Playhouse's ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’

Sunset Playhouse's ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’

Sunset Playhouse opens its 65th season with a rousing production of Arsenic and Old Lace, which many readers will recall as a 1944 film starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. Arsenic and Old Lacewill continue at Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove through September 22.

The Sunset production is set in 1941, the same year the play itself debuted on Broadway. This black comedy recounts the adventures of the Brewster family, which includes two spinster aunts, Abby and Martha Brewster, who take in boarders at their rambling family home. One of their nephews, Mortimer, regularly checks in on his aunts to see how they are doing. He is also there to see his older brother, Teddy, who lives with his aunts. Teddy believes he is Theodore Roosevelt and is attempting to dig the Panama Canal in the home’s root cellar. When Teddy blows his bugle in the middle of the night, the upset neighbors typically call the police. 

The play was a hit from opening night, and it has been revived numerous times through the years. Playwright Joseph Kesselring’s name may not be familiar, but his characters in Arsenic and Old Lace have created an indelible mark on American theater.

Happily, much of Sunset’s audience is composed of older adults who will recall the historical references to President Roosevelt and his various achievements. The sudden appearance of another character, Jonathan, causes several of his relatives to remark how much he looks like the late actor Boris Karloff. This is actually a sly reference to the fact that Karloff originally starred as Jonathan in the Broadway production. (Another famous actor from horror films, Bela Lugosi, also performed as Jonathan.) 

Jonathan’s appearance is a point of discussion because he has undergone numerous plastic surgery procedures performed by his accomplice, Dr. Einstein. (This character was modeled on a real-life, Depression-era gangland surgeon.) Jonathan, a hardened criminal on the lam from the law, is an estranged brother of Mortimer and Teddy.

Funny to Hilarious

Sunset creates a timeless classic that starts out funny and becomes positively hilarious as the plot develops. This is in large part due to director Michael Pocaro, a familiar Milwaukee presence both onstage and in the director’s chair. He paces the scenes expertly, balancing the play’s moments of madness with the “normal” reactions of more realistic characters such as Mortimer and his intended, Elaine, who is literally the girl next door.

Without giving away some of the play’s plot points, it’s safe to say that the aunts’ version of charity has become misguided through the years. Their elderberry wine becomes a potent way to send lonely old men to their heavenly reward much to Mortimer’s horrified reaction.

All of the main characters are nicely played by Sunset veterans and a few newcomers. Marilyn White and Kay Esposito are delightful as the aunts, with Cory Klein playing the loveable Teddy. Thanks go to the show’s costume designer (Kate Dombrowski) and properties coordinators (Emily Imig, Lyn Ludwig-Franitza and Susan Zuern), there is plenty of appropriate gear (shovels, canoe paddles, safari attire) for Teddy’s various “adventures.” 

Playing one of the few “normal” characters, Brandon C. Haut, recalls the late Jimmy Stewart in his portrayal of Mortimer Brewster. The lanky newspaperman often seems a bit lacking in his appreciation of girlfriend/fiancée Elaine (Sarah Briana Monahan). However, Elaine’s appealing confidence in their relationship reassures us that everything will turn out all right in the end. 

Creepy Criminal Brother is Worth the Wait

The play’s late arrival of brother Jonathan Brewster (Nicholas Callan Haubner) is worth the wait. Haubner is tall and menacing, which is exactly right for this character. Although the aunts won’t stand for any of Jonathan’s nonsense, brother Mortimer doesn’t have that luxury. Mortimer’s reasoning skills almost get him killed as Jonathan tries to take over the family mansion. To do so, Jonathan enlists the help of Dr. Einstein (Jim Donaldson). Despite his minor role, Donaldson does a fine job of making his character a memorable one. His reactions to Jonathan’s grandiose schemes seem genuinely felt, as if Einstein truly wants to escape without causing any harm to Jonathan’s family. Eventually, Mortimer enlists the local cops (Robert Hirschi, Michael Fantry, Jim Mallmann and Jim Feeley) to restore law and order in their home.

To achieve the greatest effect, the play’s outlandish elements need to be tempered by a naturalistic set. Designer Katie Johnson creates a lavish, two-story backdrop in the grand old Brewster home. Every detail is perfectly crafted and beautifully lit by lighting designer Martin Yates. A 1940s soundtrack (also by Martin Yates) gets the crowd in the mood for the merriment to come.             

Through September 22 in the Furlan Auditorium at Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, visit sunsetplayhouse.com, or call the box office at 262-782-4430.