Weathervane Playhouse’s ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ is a killer

If you ask anyone for a list of their all time favorite classic movies, high on the list will most probably be the 1944 classic screwball black comedy and crime film “Arsenic and Old Lace” starring Cary Grant. Directed by Frank Capra with screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. It was based on Joseph Kesselring’s 1939 play of the same name. Due to contract stipulations the film was held from release during the Broadway play’s run. Unfortunately for the movie the play remained popular for three and a half years delaying the movie’s release until 1944.

It takes a great amount of chutzpah for a community theater to tackle this production. Casting is essential for its success along with costuming, stage set design and execution, make-up and directing. Happy for us Weathervane Playhouse in Akron has hit a grand slam with this work. It is just as funny/creepy/dark as the original film and Broadway classic.

The Brewster family of Brooklyn were among those who came over on the Mayflower. Mental illness seems to not only run rampant in the family but many of the members are bonified homicidal maniacs as well.

Mortimer Brewster (Keon Dalziel) lives with his elderly aunts Abby (April Deming) and Martha (Tammy Carder) in a quiet spacious house (built by the aunt’s father who experimented with various snake oil remedies on cadavers that made him millions). Also residing at the house is Teddy Brewster (Adam C. Alderson) who thinks that he is Theodore Roosevelt complete with uniform and trumpet (that is a constant bother to the neighbors and police). There is a third brother, Johnathan (Dimitri Georgiadis) who left home years ago and has not been heard from since.

It begins with the Reverend Harper (Scott Crim) having tea and cookies with Abby Brewster. The Reverend is concerned about Mortimer’s dating his only daughter, Elaine (Amanda Vigneault) and taking her to various Broadway plays as well as bringing Elaine home late at night and into the early hours of morning. Abby tries to calm the Reverend by informing him that Mortimer actually hates the theater but was assigned as head of the department by the newspaper and that soon he will be getting reassigned.

The Reverend leaves as Mortimer arrives. Officer Klein (Elijah Blower) and Officer Brophy (Mitch Meyers) arrive to pick up damaged toys that will be repaired by the officers and given to needy children at Christmas. When they leave Elaine arrives and the aunts leave the two love birds alone in the parlor.

Mortimer suddenly proposes to Elaine who accepts which excites the aunts when told of the news. Elaine runs off to tell her father. As Mortimer searches the room for the first chapter of a book he is writing (a biography of Henry David Thoreau) he opens the top to the window seat and discovers a corpse. Shocked, he thinks that Teddy is the murderer. When he informs his aunts, they blithely inform him that it was not Teddy who killed the man, but themselves. They relate how over the years they have taken in lonely older men with no families as temporary boarders and giving them a glass of homemade elderberry wine laced with arsenic, strychnine and “just a pinch” of cyanide (all left overs from their father’s laboratory). They then inform Teddy that there is another Yellow Fever victim to which Teddy takes the body to the cellar to be placed in a freshly dug lock in the “Panama Canal”. In all there are a dozen “locks” in the cellar.

A horrified Mortimer leaves to tell Elaine he can’t marry her due to the mental illness in his family and soon returns to his aunt’s house only to find the sisters entertaining yet another potential guest for Panama. Mortimer chases the elderly man out of the house and scolds the aunts. Later that night Jonathan comes home with his friend Dr. Herman Einstein (Noah T. Lee) having escaped from a prison for the criminally insane in Indiana. With them is yet another corpse, a Mr. Spinalzo who they offed in their escape from Indiana. The pair of escaped cons are looking for a hideout and a place to ditch the body.

Jonathan’s most telling feature is that he closely resembles Boris Karloff resulting in a botched plastic surgery by a drunk Dr. Einstein who saw the movie prior to operating. While shocked to see their nephew the aunts reluctantly agree to allow him to stay one night. Jonathan’s plan is to turn Grandfather’s Brewster’s old lab into an illegal plastic surgery clinic for criminals.

Mortimer and the aunts manage to have Teddy get their body down to the cellar and into the “lock”. Meanwhile, Dr. Einstein discovers the grave in the cellar and adds Mr. Spinalzo to the “lock”. Elaine arrives asking why Mortimer suddenly broke the engagement as Officer O’Hara arrives to ask Mortimer’s help in writing a play. Getting rid of Elaine and O’Hara, Johnathan is informed by his aunts of their nefarious activities. Jonathan becomes angered that the aunts at home have equaled his murdering spree of twelve that took place around the world. He then plots to kill Mortimer and Teddy.

Fantastic stage set by Richard Morris Jr.? Check! Wonderfully authentic costume design by Jasen J. Smith? Check! Sparkling lighting design by Jack-Anthony Ina? Check! Crisp sound design by Robin Ungerleider? Authentic looking props by Frank C. Comunale and Kelli Perk? Check! Fantastic acting by the entire cast? Check!

Keon Dalziel as Mortimer connects to his inner Archibald Alec Leach to give an astounding performance. April Deming and Tammy Carder as the quietly homicidal aunts are an absolute delight. Amanda Vigneault does the character of Elaine proud. Adam C. Alderson gives a spirited performance as Teddy...CHARGE!!! Dimitri Georgiadis as the really really creepy Jonathan manages to raise the hackles on everyone’s neck along with his sidekick Noah T. Lee as Dr. Einstein. In all a very tight knit and professional cast if ever there was one. Holding highly efficient court over this murderous crew is director Fred Gloor.

Be in for a huge surprise when you enter this amazing community theater. There you will be awed by a meticulously constructed stage set along with sumptuous costuming as well as one of the most professionally acted comedies ever. The laughs come easy and often as the hapless Mortimer tries to keep his cool in the home he grew up in and never suspected as being a private cemetery. Tickets will be scarce for this one so order early.

The Weathervane Playhouse production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” will be on stage at 1301 Weathervane Lane in Akron, Ohio through May 24, 2026. For tickets and more information go to http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com or call (330) 836-2626.