From the first glimpse of the tastefully refined parlor where cultured eccentrics engage in witty banter, Arsenic and Old Lace seems to possess all the attendant visages of a drawing room comedy – with the notable distinction of a cellar crowded with shallow graves. Victims of two elderly sisters who approach murder as a kind of charitable enterprise, the accumulating corpses are just one example of the play’s waggishly skewed perversion of propriety. By equating social etiquette with mannerly homicides, the Guthrie Theater’s new production of Arsenic and Old Lace succeeds in transforming unabashedly morbid humor into crowd pleasing entertainment.
Now considered one of American theater’s defining dark comedies, playwright Joseph Kesselring had originally envisioned Arsenic and Old Lace as a grim crime drama until a friend astutely pointed out the ghastly humor to be derived from the story of Abby and Martha Brewster, spinster sisters whose unique definition of goodwill includes the poisoning of lonely old men. When Mortimer, a devoted nephew, learns of his aunts’ crimes he resolves to put a stop to their activities without alarming his fiancée, Elaine Harper. Though Mortimer ponders using his delusional brother Teddy (who believes himself to be former President Theodore Roosevelt) as a convenient scapegoat, the plan is dashed by the unexpected arrival of a third brother, Jonathan, a maniacal criminal whose face has been so altered by plastic surgery that he now resembles horror icon Boris Karloff. Accompanying Jonathan is the dubious Doctor Einstein and yet another corpse destined for the cellar floor.
Populated with such delightfully bizarre characters, Kesselring’s script excels at undermining social graces with diabolical charm. Occasionally the script’s carefully calibrated mechanics do show some wear, particularly in an exposition heavy first act that allows more chuckles than outright laughter, but director Joe Dowling confidently sustains the mood with a tongue-in-cheek sensibility perfectly suited to the irreverent material.
Abby and Martha, the Brewster sisters, are brought to life by the vivacious portrayals of, respectfully, Kristine Nielsen and Sally Wingert. These two performers capture the sweet-hearted lunacy of two women who haven’t the slightest compunction over murder, but are mortified by the suggestion of being dishonest. Nielsen’s disarming ebullience, especially as she fawns over Mortimer, is as humorously deranged as Wingert’s nonchalantly recited recipe for home-made elderberry wine; a mixture of arsenic, strychnine, and “just a pinch of cyanide.”
While the Brewster sisters are certainly memorable on their own, the hysterics truly commence when their insanity clashes with the rationality of Mortimer. With dashing confidence undone by ceaseless exasperation, Jonas Goslow makes for a sympathetic foil. Matching Goslow’s efforts is an impressive turn by Kathryn Lawrey who, as Elaine Harper, inflates an underwritten role with an energetic shot of swagger.
While the roles of Mortimer and Elaine remain relatively grounded, Arsenic and Old Lace features no shortage of gloriously exaggerated roles. Most prominent are the over-the-top portrayals of Bob Davis (storming the stage as Teddy Brewster), Tyson Forbes (glowering with menace as Jonathan Brewster) and Kris L. Nelson (scheming nervously as Dr. Einstein). Between these three, it’s a wonder the scenery isn’t chewed to tatters.
Speaking of scenery, set designer John Lee Beatty has erected a cross section of the Brewster home that impresses with warmly furnished decorum. The cemetery just outside the gate, of course, provides an ever-present reminder of the gruesome deeds hidden behind the civility. Similarly, Christine A. Richardson’s costume design reinforces a seemly modesty that stands in sharp contrast to all the serial killing.
Though Arsenic and Old Lace may falter by dramatic standards, the Guthrie’s emphasis on homicidal humor offers a farcical reminder that even murder can be a laughing matter.
Arsenic and Old Lace runs through June 5th.
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