arch 8-11, 2007

            Arsenic and Old Lace 

News Coverage

• McGivern’s directorial swan song is Arsenic and Old Lace

  Wednesday, 21 March 2007

  By Greg Hunt A fun, old comedy, Arsenic and Old Lace, will be tackled by the Cambridge-Isanti High School Drama Department this weekend. The annual spring three-act play will be Fran McGivern’s last one as CIHS director. McGivern, an English teacher at the high school, selected the comedy to satisfy the wishes of Drama Department partner Bruce Danielson, another long-time teacher at CIHS. Drama critic Mortimer (Bryan Wells) is in love with Elaine (Rochelle Lorsung), but his wedding plans are complicated by his work schedule and his aunts’ hobby. “Arsenic and Old Lace is one of Bruce’s favorite plays. Knowing this was my last year directing the spring play, we were looking for a fun choice, and Arsenic hasn’t been performed at our school for many years,” said McGivern prior to the March 19 rehearsal. “It’s a comedy filled with great lines and a lot of crazy characters.” Leading the nutty bunch are juniors Tricia Miller and Anna Hazard playing Martha and Abby Brewster. The setting for the play is in the elderly sisters’ parlor room, a scene for “11 or 12” euthanasia cases where the Brewsters are convinced they are helping ease the pain of lonely old men by administering a lethal dose of poison dropped into elderberry wine. Junior Bryan Wells plays nephew Mortimer Brewster who accidentally becomes aware of his aunts’ deeds. Complicating his decision to turn in the ladies to the police is his engagement to Elaine Harper (played by Rochelle Lorsung), the daughter of a conservative minister (played by Grant Volker). The zaniness doesn’t end there. Another nephew, Teddy Brewster (Thomas Opatz) is convinced he is Teddy Roosevelt. And a third nephew – black sheep Jonathan Brewster (James Larson) – appears in disguise, accompanied by his plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein (Nick McVenes) and aiming to cause trouble. The Cast Abby Brewster - Anna Hazard Martha Brewster - Tricia Miller Rev. Dr. Harper - Grant Volker Teddy Brewster - Thomas Opaz Officer Brophy - Lori Miller Officer Klein - Cory LaNasa Elaine Harper - Rochelle Lorsung Mortimer Brewster - Bryan Wells Mr. Gibbs - Eric Kroska Jonathan Brewster - James Larson Dr. Einstein - Nick McVenes    Officer O’Hara - Kara Nienow Lieutenant Rooney - Alicia Kase Mr. Witherspoon - Tony Oliver The Crew Director - Fran McGivern Student Director - Taiah Diaz Sound - Dillon Cariveau and Tim Saxton Lights - Melissa Johnson and Anna O’Hara Backstage - Nicole Klapak, Brittany Osborne-Wilson, Cheyanne Previl, Kerrylea Alborough Props - Tylinn Fahrni Makeup - Emma Aanerud and Amanda Saxton Costumes - Brianna Satterlee and Abby Cooper Publicity - Courtney Sjoquist and Natalie Hanck Program - Samantha Hanck and Mary Opatz Show Times Thursday-Saturday, March 22-24, 7 p.m. Sunday, March 25, 2 p.m. Tickets: $7 adults, $6 for students and seniors. Box office phone: 763-689-6466. It’s madcap 1940s theatre at its best. McGivern added there are several historical allusions in the script, such as an Abby quip about Hitler and few slams on theater.

  Charitable Old Ladies or Murderers?  You Decide. 'Arsenic and Old Lace' opens at Cambridge-Isanti High School:  The Star Weekend Edition March 23, 2007 In 1941, New Yorkers were looking for some entertainment to take their minds off of the war in Europe and the growing fear that America would be pulled into it. On January 10, Broadway gave them exactly what they were looking for in the form of a hilarious new play by Joseph Kesselring, Arsenic and Old Lace. The play became an immediate critical and popular success, running for 1,444 performances. It also became a hit in England in 1942 as theatergoers who were suffering through post-blitz London lined up for tickets. In 1944, Hollywood produced a film version staring Cary Grant that became a huge box office success. The play, a clever combination of the farcical and the macabre, centers on two elderly sisters (Anna Hazard and Tricia Miller) who are famous in their Brooklyn neighborhood for their numerous acts of charity. Unfortunately, however, their charity includes poisoning lonely old men who come to their home looking for lodging. The two women are assisted in their crimes by their mentally challenged nephew (Thomas Opatz) who believes he is Teddy Roosevelt and who frequently blasts a bugle and yells **charge** as he bounds up the stairs. Matters get complicated when a second nephew (Bryan Wells), a theater critic, discovers the murders and a third nephew (James Larson) appears after having just escaped from a mental institution. In his adroit mixture of comedy and mayhem, Kesselring satirizes the charitable impulse as he pokes fun at the conventions of the theater.