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Troupe offering dose of 'Arsenic'
Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre Association will present Joseph Kesselring's Arsenic and Old Lace next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Oct. 22-24 at the Fox Theatre in McCook and on Oct. 30 at the Gateway Events Center in Oberlin. The evening shows begin at 7:30 and the Sunday afternoon show at 2.
Theater tickets may be purchased at Hershberger Music and Howard Kool's dealership or at the door. Dinner tickets for the Friday and Saturday McCook shows may be purchased at Country Whimsy (Friday only), Mexico Lindo and Sehnert's Bakery and Bieroc Cafe. Seating for dinner will begin at 6 o'clock. Patrons purchasing dinner tickets will have reserved seats at the theatre.
Former McCook Public Schools Special Education Director Bill Marshall makes his SWNCTA debut as director.
Starring in the comic masterpiece is Bill Longnecker as newspaperman and author Mortimer Brewster. Known for his diatribes against marriage, the play opens with his city hall marriage to lovely Elaine Harper, played by Kathy Hutchins. All Mortimer must do is make a quick trip home to inform his adorable old maiden aunts, Abby and Martha Brewster, played by Cheryl Scott and Alice Harpst.
While trying to break the news, Mortimer discovers his kindly aunts have a hobby of killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar, affectionately called the "Panama Canal," by their nephew Teddy (Cloyd Clark), who is fully convinced that he is Theordore Roosevelt.
The chaos escalates with the arrival of another nephew, Jonathan (Casey-Sines Baker), who boasts of leaving murder victims on every continent.
Using their faces to change his own, he comes to resemble Boris Karloff through the botched craftsmanship of his alcoholic sidekick Dr. Einstein (Gene Weeden).
Each tries to find resolve as more colorful characters add twists and turns to the plot: Reverend Dr. Harper (Bill Marshall), Officer Brophy (Nathan McCarty), Officer Klein (Carl Philo), Officer O'Hara (Gene Malleck), Lt. Rooney (Ethan Poore), Mr. Gibbs (Lester Webb) and Mr. Witherspoon (Jon Burkey).
Critics regard Arsenic and Old Lace as one of the unquestioned classics of American comedy. The play has proved irresistible to every generation since its opening in 1942. Among the most often produced of American plays, audiences have also come to love it through Frank Capra's 1944 film version starring Cary Grant and Josephine Hull.
"I've always wanted to do this play," Marshall said. "It offers plenty of challenges while being a lot of fun, too."
Producer for the play is Howard Kool. Assistant director is Carl Philo.
Other key members of the production crew are Set Design and Construction, Chuck Trail and Richard Tubbs; Stage Manager and Properties, Ivy Stritt; Sound, Ken Dow; Lights, Phil Lyons; Costumes, Janet Kool and Jean Marshall; Makeup, Ladonna Anderson-Poore, Programs, Posters, Tickets, Jeri Lynn Karr; House Manager, Colleen Grant; and Publicity, Linda Crandall.