by Terrance Mc Arthur

Arsenic and Old Lace, that classic killer comedy about sweet little old ladies with a homicidal hobby, is knockin’ ‘em dead at the Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theatre through October 8.

The Joseph Kesselring play has been convulsing audiences with laughter since 1941, and became a Frank Capra-directed film that wasn’t released until 1944 (because the play kept running on Broadway for 1,444 performances). Abby Brewster (Elizabeth Fiester) and her sister Martha (Shari Wilcox) live in their old mansion in Brooklyn, New York, shortly before the United States enter World War II. One nephew, Mortimer (Jon Maxwell), is a theatre critic who enjoys writing bad reviews. Another nephew, Teddy (Patrick Allan Tromborg), thinks he is President Teddy Roosevelt, and charges up the stairs like it is San Juan Hill.

Another nephew, Jonathan (Ken Stocks), is a wanted multiple murderer with a sinister face provided by his often-drunken plastic surgeon partner in crime, Dr. Einstein (Gordon Moore)—not that Dr. Einstein—and everyone thinks he looks like Boris Karloff (who played the role on Broadway!). It turns out that Abby and Martha have quietly racked up their own victim list in their own home, doing a kindness to lonely old men…by way of home-brewed elderberry wine laced with a cocktail of poisons.

Throw in the perky next-door neighbor (Emily Kearns through September 10, Kylee Leyva begins in the role September 14) that Mortimer wants to marry, the girl’s minister father (Eric Bako), a sanitorium director (Kristin Lyn Crase), a passel of policemen (Stefan Prater, Joseph Harding, Juan Carlos Munoz, Henry Montelongo), and a sad and lonely man (Martin Martinez), and you end up with a comedy of deadly proportions.

Fiester has a beatific smile as she explains their lethal modus operandi. Who wouldn’t trust this sweetheart, even if she is about to kill you with kindness and cyanide? Her speech is clear and crisp (as is the rest of the cast…who could all give elocution lessons). Wilcox is quick and nimble, eagerly engaged in her crusade of public service as she puts the woebegone out of their misery.

Maxwell’s timing is spot-on. He can double-take with the best, and proves he can act in any situation, even when bound and gagged. Kearns is dragged across the stage mercilessly. Though the character is naïve, she does get in a few sharp lines. (Leyve played the shy Aunt Trina in I Remember Mama; she should be able to show her bubbly side in this production).

Tromborg returns to the 2nd Space stage in triumph as the eternally cheerful Teddy, who is happy in his fantasy world. His cry of “CHARGE!” thunders through the theatre and into your heart. Stocks steps into the shadows of Karloff, Erich von Stroheim. Raymond Massey, Bela Lugosi, and Fred “Herman Munster” Gwynn, who all played Jonathan, the rottenest branch of the Brewster family tree, but he doesn’t try to imitate any of his predecessors. He creates his own brand of smoldering menace that carries its own deadly logic.

Moore can always be counted on to bring laughter wherever he goes. His expressive face is almost surpassed by Einstein’s Teutonic accent, but he is still the comedy monument that keeps on giving. Among the play’s NYPD men in blue, Stefan Prater gets to shine as the wannabe playwright who doesn’t recognize the clues staring him in the face.

As a downtrodden soul looking for a place to stay, Martinez makes a great impression. Usually running a spotlight for GCP or hidden in the chorus of a show, he brings a moment of pathos into a chaotic assemblage of characters.

Denise Graziani’s direction propels the play at a lively pace, giving the audience little time to catch their breath. Everyone involved seems to be delighted to be in that theatre in that play. David Pierce’s set embodies Victorian elegance past its expiration date, sturdy enough to hold up and endure the pummeling and shenanigans of each wild and crazy evening (Thanks go for including a railing on the stairs. The steps can be treacherous.). Ginger Kay Lewis Reed does her usual stellar job on costumes that range from mourning attire to an elegant gown for an evening out to a recreation of Teddy Roosevelt’s signature Rough Rider style.

Joseph Kesselring’s script still packs a comedic punch after 82 years. The jokes are still there, and this production makes them sparkle… like a glass of elderberry wine in a crystal glass.

The 2nd Space Theatre is at 928 E. Olive Ave, in Fresno. For tickets and further information, contact www.gcplayers.com, or call (559) 266-9494.

Check out more theatre reviews & other local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section. You can also find more theatre coming up on KRL’s Local Theatre event page.

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Terrance V. Mc Arthur worked for the Fresno County Public Library for three decades. He is retired, but not retiring. A storyteller, puppeteer, writer, actor, magician, basketmaker, and all-around interesting person, his goal is to make life more unusual for everyone he meets.