REPERTORY SOCIETY PRESENTS “ARSENIC AND OLD LACE”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30213, 19 August 1963, Page 13

REPERTORY SOCIETY PRESENTS “ARSENIC AND OLD LACE”

The element of surprise, which has kept “Arsenic and Old Lace” fairly sweet for a long time, is not now to be counted on; but good production and capable acting carried the play through another successful performance at the Civic Theatre on Saturday evening.

When the outcome of every scene is already known, attention is directed towards the treatment of character; and it soon becomes a matter for speculation whether these two recrophilous old ladies and • their criminally insane nephew are really figures of fun at all. On Saturday evening some of the passages between Abby and Martha Brewster sounded unpleasant rather than amusing. The short conversation about attending the operating theatre of a hospital to see an amputation is an example of this. What a producer has to ask is whether his oast can carry Shis sort of thing off with conviction. The Repertory Theatre Society players acted the play at a rapid pace, which was probably the best way to deal with the problem in a work of the kind.

Taking into account, then, the dubious nature of the roles, Jean Muirhead and Doreen Corrick did achieve the desired tone of comedy most of the time. They were at their best in developing the simple logic of the Brewsters’ charity, a logic that was self-evident to those who gave it The scene with Mr Witherspoon just before the

last curtain crowned the Misses Brewsters’ achievement in this particular line. Neil Dolheguy was Mortimer Brewster. This was a lively performance, and Mr Dolheguy kept it up till the end. The audience really felt that everything that happened to Mortimer was electrifying. It is, however, a pity that so much of the dialogue about dramatic criticism falls so flat. It would be better to leave it out altogether. Philip Wilbraham’s appearance was disguised with great skill in this performance, and his acting matched his appearance. In fact, a more gruesome Jonathan Brewster could hardly be imagined. Leo Jervis’s playing of the part of Dr. Einstein was one of the best things in the Repertory Theatre Society’s production. Utterly forlorn and tossed about on the stormy sea of life, Dr. Einstein provided some of the most genuine comedy in “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

Another pleasing performance was that given by Lionel Rogers in the role of Teddy Brewster, who is perpetually playing the role of President Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy’s presidential attitudes, his unexpected blasts on the bugle, and his habit of charging up San Juan Hill were appreciated on Saturday evening. Cecily Polson added an individual touch to the part of Elaine Harper, and Adrian Burr, as Officer O'Hara, was

entertaining in a role that is very different from anything he has attempted before. The other policemen, however, were much less successful; their manner and their speech reflected the self-conscious-ness of the inexperienced actor. “Arsenic and Old Lace” is rich in detail and in colour, lit shows very clearly the professional competence of the producer, John Kim, and of the assisting artist, Valerie Gould. —C.E.S.