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Arsenic and Old Lace by Granite Hills Acting Workshop  They seem so harmless. Two sweet little old ladies who always go out of their way to make guests feel right at home. But you may want to pass on their offer of elderberry wine. A few teaspoons of arsenic and just a pinch of cyanide give it a mighty powerful kick. There are a dozen men resting peacefully beneath the cellar who can attest to that. Long before Dr. Kevorkian, the two disturbingly nice Brewster sisters, Aunt Abby (Christina Wenck) and Aunt Martha (Jennifer Volker), were "assisting" lonely men in shuffling off that mortal coil and entering immediately into a happy afterlife.
But not everyone sees their humanitarian efforts quite so innocently. For instance, their nephew Mortimer (Nick Bonnell) gets inexplicably distressed when he learns of their little "hobby." His frazzled attempts to protect both his dear old aunts and their potential victims results in one of the best scenes of the show when he chases a lonely male guest (Josh Fox as Mr. Gibbs) out of the house by gesticulating wildly and making loud, inarticulate noises like a raving lunatic. Speaking of lunacy, it doesn't just run in the Brewster family. As Mortimer says, it practically gallops! Grandfather had it. His sweet little old aunts have it. His brother Theodore believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt (performed with presidential pomp by Jason Araujo). Fearing he will be next, Mortimer feels he has to call off his announced wedding to girl-next-door Elaine (Amanda Maples) and save her from his family's curse.  But that may not be enough to save Elaine, as tonight the crazy Brewsters get a visit from Mortimer's criminally insane and sadistic brother Jonathan (played by Boris Karloff ... er ... well, a slight plastic surgery accident has him looking like Boris. Actually, it's Travis Heath). Together Travis Heath and Derek Maples, playing his reluctant assistant/plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein (not to be confused with Dr. Albert Einstein), make for an outrageously humorous duo -- Travis as the cruel, cool, confident murderer, and Derek as his polite, nervous, timid accomplice.
Can theatre critic Mortimer Brewster write himself out of this tangled plot? Perhaps with a little help from amateur playwright/police officer O'Hara (Jarryd Davis). The enthusiastic Officer O'Hara is bound and determined to conscript Mortimer's help on his idea for a play, and on this fateful night he happily finds himself with a captive audience. So long as O'Hara doesn't drink a toast to his good fortune, it may be possible for the Brewsters to go one whole night without killing anyone! Set Designer Austin Thorpe and his crew put together a beautiful, exquisite set that resembles something you'd see in a big budget theatre rather than a high school -- a lovely backdrop to the humorously heinous crimes that take place there. This classic comedy, the first show ever produced by Barry Bosworth's Granite Hills Acting Workshop back in 1970, marks an excellent beginning to GHAW's fantastic new season which will include Romeo and Juliet and Sondheim's dark but hysterical musical Into the Woods. Rob Hopper San Diego Playbill ~ Cast ~
Abby: Christina Wenck Martha: Jennifer Volker Mortimer: Nick Bonnell Elaine: Amanda Maples Jonathan: Travis Heath Teddy: Jason Araujo Dr. Einstein: Derek Maples Officer O'Hara: Jarryd Davis Officer Klein: Chris Wilson Officer Brophy: Danny Lauridsen Lt. Rooney: Josh Hoffman Ms. Witherspoon: Mayah Blount Dr. Harper: Ray Naseath Mr. Gibbs: Josh Fox Director: Barry Bosworth Assistant Director: Michelle Anderson Costume Design: Amy Skinner Set Design: Austin Thorpe |