"Arsenic and Old Lace", A Killer Success at Center Playhouse!

Well, if you didn’t get tickets to see Arsenic and Old Lace at Center Playhouse, you’ve missed out on one terrific show! Not that I’m an expert, but I’ve been a critic for a long time and I’ve certainly seen a lot of the productions this wonderful little theater puts on in the heart of our town. And let me tell, you, Arsenic rates right up there with Twelve Angry Men, all the Neil Simon productions, and Doubt.

This production was so terrific for a number of different reasons. For one, it had a cast of 13, something pretty difficult to work with in the tiny surroundings that are lovingly called “backstage” and “dressing room.”  For another, it was directed by Bernie Garfield-Szita who works so hard and gets so much satisfaction out of making people happy. Bernice said the cast rehearsed about two months for this fantastic production, but she must have mean they spent night and day preparing during those two months. It just seems that every single actor had a particular charm, a particular camaraderie with each other, and they all melded!  At Center Playhouse, there never seems to be any upstaging, any scene stealing… it just seems everyone knows his own role, plays it to perfection and enhances the other actors.

Take Yvette Cataneo for instance. Admittedly, she’s a personal favorite for me, since she’s a Freehold gal, a sensational talent and about as diverse as you can be on stage. In Arsenic, which is really a combination drama/comedy/suspense play written by Joseph Kesselring, she played Elaine Harper, the preacher’s daughter in love with the nephew of the very weird, but very lovable Brewster sisters who lived next to Elaine’s father’s church.  Although both of Yvette’s degrees are in vocal performance, and her musical talent spans operatic to musical theatre, she is outstanding in non-musicals as well. Her facial expressions, her obvious “getting into the character,” her enthusiasm exude whenever she’s on stage.

Colleen DeFelice, well known to Center Players for her excellence in so many different roles… who could forget her in The Diary of Anne Frank or The Cemetery Club… pulled off another stupendous role as Abby Brewster, the sweet little old lady who teams up with her sister Martha to control and create all the action throughout the show.  Jill Zaitchick …another great from The Diary of Anne Frank, is superb as well, and the pair team up to give flawless performances in a very complex, quick moving, and ambitious production.

They’re all great in this one…. Eric McDonough... in a totally different place from his full time position as funeral home director… is a wonderful addition to Center Players, Jeff Cox proved himself a huge talent once again (He was George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life), Ken Bropson is dramatic, talented, agile, and a great Theodore Roosevelt. Arnold Brown and Matthew Gochman who both played police officers, come off as typical Brooklyn officers of the law to the delight of the audience. Michael Tota is a lovable gangster who pulls off that role with charm, Francesca Alexander is great dead or alive, Jack Rosmarin looked and acted like he could give a sermon at church on any Sunday, as well as handle an entire squad in a Brooklyn precinct.  Harvey Rothman as Mr. Gibbs, draws out his “sip” of elderberry wine long enough to be rescued from the clutches of the Brewster sisters. And Paul Nixon’s second act appearance is proof that if you’re born with show business in your soul, it lives on and flourishes long after retirement.

Next on tap here is A Christmas Carol slated to open December 6 and continue for six more performances. Call for tickets early for this one. In the meantime, check out the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank to see another Center Players favorite, Anthony Greco, who, in spite of an incredibly busy schedule, played one of the two police officers in Arsenic earlier this month. In Red Bank, he’s directing another wonderful group, the Phoenix Players, in White Christmas. Greco’s production is also fantastic, ambitious, and full of song, dance, and wonderful Irving Berlin music. As wonderful as that theater is, though, there’s a certain charm and wonder about our own Center Playhouse in Freehold because of the intimacy, the family atmosphere, and the closeness between actor and audience.

Muriel Smith is a guest blogger for Center Players. She grew up in Union, NJ and lived in Highlands for more than 40 years, working as a newspaper writer/editor before leaving home with her husband 15 years ago to live in an RV and visit every state in the Union before determining that Monmouth County is still the best place to live.  She's now settled comfortably in Freehold.

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A Christmas Carol opens at Center Playhouse, located at 35 South Street in downtown Freehold, on Friday, December 6th and runs for two weekends through December 15th, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $25 for Adults and $23 for Seniors & Students and includes gourmet desserts and refreshments. Group rates for parties of ten or more are available. Seating is limited so call the box office at (732) 462-9093 or visit us online at www.CenterPlayers.org to purchase your tickets.