News Item
03/04/2009 - The Irish Theatre Players present "Arsenic and Old Lace" April 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd
The Irish Theatre Players' opening production for the 2009 Season is a rip-roaring comedy by American author Joseph Kesselring, and directed by Jim Motherway. It was first staged on Broadway in 1941 and continues to delight audiences all over the world with revivals by both professional and amateur groups.
In 1942 it was turned into a Hollywood movie starring (among others) Cary Grant, Peter Lorre and Raymond Massey. The original stage play was still performing on Broadway with Boris Karloff in the role of the crazy psychopath - Jonathan Brewster. This was a marvellous piece of casting since, in the play, Jonathan has had his face re-arranged by a quack plastic surgeon and has ended up "looking like Boris Karloff"! Unfortunately for the actor, Karloff was prevented by his contract on Broadway to take part in the classic movie.
In our production the part of the killer psychopath, Jonathan Brewster, is played by Bob Walsh, who has returned to the stage with the Irish Theatre Players, after many years absence. (He dosn't know it yet, but we will have to make an appointment for him to see our plastic surgeon in order to re-arrange his features, so as to look like Boris Karloff!)
The two charming old ladies (the Old Lace of the title) are played by a new member Juliet Simonis and one of our regular members Pam Stowell. Their characters are everyone's ideal Aunties - charming, courteous, charitable and loving. But these old dears are on a mission to help lonely old men to a happier place. To speed this process they simply add a little arsenic, cynanide and strychnine into their home-brew!
Jonathan's sidekick and plastic surgeon, Dr. Einstein, is played by Joe Purcell and our trio of bumbling New York cops are played by Niall O'Toole, Bill Nash and newcomer to the stage Steve Hooton. The other crazy Brewster nephew, Teddy, is played by Michael Manifold who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt. Louis Byrnes makes a welcome return to the stage of the Irish Theatre Players, as Dr. Witherspoon of "Happy Dale" and ends up getting more than he bargained for.
The only two apparently sane people in the entire cast are played by Ivan Motherway (following in Cary Grant's footsteps) and at long last manages to get a girl for himself. This charming young actress, Courtney Hill, plays his love interest and is another very welcome newcomer to the ranks of the Irish Theatre Players.
Booking for this laugh-a-minute comedy are rolling in already and we anticipate a sell-out audience each night so book early to avoid disappointment!
See you there.
Jim Motherway
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