Health & Fitness
Arsenic And Old Lace… Miniature Theater… Maximum Entertainment!
"The theater had all of the technology and stagecraft that a Broadway theater would sport: full toolbox of lighting, sound, stage and scenery." Howard Pogorsky, guest blogger.
Wonderfully exciting and enjoyable big deal things can come out of small containers.
My wife, Liz, thought it would be a nice early Christmas/Hanukkah present to treat me to a stage version of Arsenic and Old Lace. (She is Lutheran and I am a practicing devout atheist…just thought I would tell ya.).
She knew I loved the movie and that I did enjoy a staged version in Menlo Park a few years ago. To prepare me, Liz kept reminding me that the theater is quite small. She wondered out loud where would be the best seats…
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When we got to go, it was the 2:00 pm showing on November 10, 2013. On the tickets we saw that we were there on a “Sunurday” as printed on the top of our tickets. I remarked that maybe Sunurday may in the future replace our word for weekend or maybe the word Matinee. Words change and we have to start somewhere. Why not in creative Freehold, NJ?
When we went in, it was all definitely miniature - but warm, friendly and inviting. I remarked to our hosts that the theater is so small it would only be possible to stage the life of just two of The Three Stooges!
Find out what's happening in Freeholdwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Liz and I were then offered complimentary coffee. It was very good, bold and hot, the way I like it. (Note: To be honest I first ran to the “Elderberry Wine” to see if I could get a little buzz before the play… but it was really pretty good ice tea. I had forgotten that poisoned elderberry wine was one of the features of this play.)
Our seats were in the “rear” and I remarked to Liz: “Better not stretch out your legs or you might injure one of the actors.” But as we sat down in surprisingly comfortable seats, I could now see details of the creative genius making this all effectively possible. The theater had all of the technology and stagecraft that a Broadway theater would sport: full toolbox of lighting, sound, stage and scenery. The sound and lighting central control was in a booth just behind our seats. The classical music surrounding us was high definition and very pleasant. When the play started, I was very pleased with being able to see and hear everything on the stage, which was beautiful and well thought out.
The scenery, costumes and make-up were realistic and the acting flawless. The play flowed fast and the humor was timed and delivered very well and made me and others laugh out loud frequently. The characters were portrayed well and even though folks like me knew the story from the movie, this production added a wonderful flavor all its own.
Go see it before it is gone!
Howard Pogorsky, Housing Inspector and Over Communicator (Unfortunately, I was borne mouth first and it never stopped talking.) [Guest blogger for Center Players.]
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Arsenic and Old Lace opened at Center Playhouse, located at 35 South Street in downtown Freehold, on Friday, October 18th and runs for five weekends through November 17th, 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.
