From November 15th to the 24th, the Irvington conservatory theater put on the famous dark comedy, “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Directed by Mr. Ballin in the Valhalla Theater, this entertaining play showcased the hard work of the actors and backstage members.
Set in 1940’s Brooklyn, “Arsenic and Old Lace” follows the maniacal and homicidal Brewster family. The protagonist, Mortimer Brewster (Daniel Sadsad), is a theater critic who tries to conceal the secrets of his insane family from the Brooklyn police as he attempts to marry his fiancé, Elaine Harper (Marissa Rosado). His family contains two elderly aunts (Christin Hagie Mendoza, Avani Rao) who enjoy murdering lonely old men, a sociopath brother (Nathan Woolsey) with multiple plastic surgeries, and a brother who fully believes he is Theodore Roosevelt (Cameron Kong).
The cast put on a great performance, skillfully portraying their characters after weeks of practice. Daniel Sadsad (12), who played the lead of Mortimer Brewster, hilariously grew increasingly frustrated as his family spiraled out of control. Cameron Kong (12), who played Teddy Brewster, amused the audience and provided comedic relief with his startling bugle calls and harmless unstable mindset. Reflecting on the acting process, he explained the hard work the actors put into the play, “It takes a lot. We have to rehearse the entire play once every day, from the time we’re casted, so by the time of the play, we’ve practiced so many times we are completely prepared.”
Mr .Ballin further explained, “I choose to cast the characters not only based on their skill level, but who fits the character most.” This helps the actors grow into their roles and really helps every student understand the acting process. Dr. Einstein, who was played by Rahi Vinod (12), describes the process of playing a character, “the biggest thing when it comes to getting into someone’s mindset is knowing about their background story.” The cast’s deeper understanding of their characters helped them deliver a convincing engaging story.
The crew equally put a considerable effort into the play. Aarav Nanda (12), the stage manager of the play shared the challenges and excitement of running the show behind the scenes. He noted, “The most challenging part was learning all the cues exactly because the actors talk fast. If something goes wrong, like an actor missing a cue, we have to improvise.” The set for the play was detailed and impressive. Padma Madhyastha (10), a stage technician, emphasized, “Since the play only has one set, we made it really intricate and paid attention to detail. For example, we wanted the room to have an antique, rustic look, so we hand painted the entire wallpaper.”
Ultimately, the work of the cast and crew paid off, as members of the audience echoed the same praise for this hilarious play. Sadhana Ganesh (10) commented, “I enjoyed the play, I thought it was funny and entertaining. I thought the characters and their actions were very exaggerated and the actors did really really well” As the curtain closes, the cast and crew can celebrate a successful run of this comedy classic, and they look forward to the spring production of the musical, “Cinderella.”
