Arsenic and Old Lace Opening This Weekend
Written by Barry Freiman Tuesday, 26 January 2010 00:00
This weekend, Chicago’s Beverly Theatre Guild (“BTG” or the “Guild”) puts its arsenic where its elderberry wine is in the famously funny and wickedly wacky 1939 play “Arsenic and Old Lace”. The BTG’s roots date back to 1929 and they’ve performed consecutively on Chicago stages since 1963. With this weekend’s performances, the Guild returns to one of its original venues, the Baer Theatre at the Morgan Park Academy at 2153 W. 111th Street in Chicago. The production runs all weekend with 8 PM performances Friday and Saturday, and a matinee performance Sunday at 2 PM.
Playwright Joseph Kesselring wrote “Arsenic and Old Lace” in 1939. The show premiered on Broadway in January 1941. The original cast included horror actor Boris Karloff who, naturally, played the character surgically altered to look like Boris Karloff.
The most famous version of the play is the 1944 movie. It is still regarded as one of the most faithful film adaptations of a stage play. Director Frank Capra (“It’s a Wonderful Life”) directed the movie, which starred film legends Cary Grant and Peter Lorre.
The Director of the BTG adaptation is John-Grant Phillips with Assistant Director Frankie Scalzi. The show’s cast includes James Edward Dauphin as Mortimer Brewster, Bruce Frederick as Jonathan Brewster, Susie Giampaolo as Abby, Dana Grube as Elaine, Jermaine Jones as Dr. Witherspoon, George F. Miller as Teddy, and Brian Whitlock as Dr. Einstein.
BTG Board member and HIV activist Jason Taylor usually plays more of a behind the scenes role in the Guild’s productions since he joined them in 2008. In “Arsenic and Old Lace”, Taylor plays his second onstage role with a BTG production as supporting character Brophy.
Taylor recently explained that, due to the economy, the BTG decided to move from the Beverly Arts Center back to one of its original venues, the Baer Theatre. The Guild performed at the Baer Theatre continuously from 1969 to 2002. According to Assistant Director Scalzi, the recession has challenged the BTG to “think outside the box a bit instead of taking everything for granted.”
With such a famous film template for the production, the Guild has resisted the urge to copy the movie’s performances. “I think everyone is at least familiar with the film,” Scalzi explained, “but I don’t think anyone specifically went out and studied the performances.”
The play abounds with wildly exaggerated characters such as a Karloff twin, a borderline personality playwright, two kindly poisoning spinster aunts, a mad scientist, and a crazed relative who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt digging the Panama Canal in the basement. Scalzi explained that it’s part of her job to ensure the actors stay focused and don’t play the characters too broadly: “My motivation has been keeping everyone and everything on track. Definitely not a hard one to find coming up on” this weekend’s shows.
BTG is performing the play this weekend only, Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 8 PM, and a Sunday matinee at 2 PM. Prices are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. For ticket information or other questions, you can contact the BTG at (773) BTG-TIXS, or beverlytheatreguild@juno.com. The Guild website is www.beverlytheatreguild.com.
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