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Garner High makes killer debut with comedy

By Sharron Gibson
Education Editor

Comedy is notoriously difficult to present onstage. And the three-act play “Arsenic and Old Lace” — with its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, somewhat unconventional characters and storyline, and 1940s setting — pose quite a challenge for young actors. With a few character adaptations, however, the Garner Magnet High School cast and crew recently rose to the challenge beautifully.

Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace” is the story of elderly sisters, pillars of Brooklyn society who are well-known for their charity work but have developed the habit of relieving old men of their loneliness — by poisoning them with homemade elderberry wine. Nephew Teddy, who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt, then buries the body in “the Panama Canal,” which he digs in the basement of the family home.

Mortimer, a theater critic who is also a nephew of the three sisters, discovers his aunts’ secret when he finds a body in the window seat and proceeds to spend the rest of the play trying to protect the elderly ladies while attempting to stop the murderous mayhem.

Enter the mobster sister Joanie, a role adapted for an actress from the original script, and her personal plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein, who both have their own cadaver in tow. Small wonder that Mortimer tries to dissuade his new fiancée Elaine from actually marrying him.

“Insanity runs in my family,” he says. “It practically gallops!”

GMHS drama teacher and director Cheryle Prater had her cast rehearsing without scripts by day 10 of rehearsal to give the cast members time to perfect their roles. Their hard work paid off. Beth Majernik, Carolyn Vreeland and Shannon West were quite believable as sweet, albeit murderous, elderly ladies.

West was so convincing with her stooped-over shuffle, it was hard to believe a teenage girl was beneath the 1940s-style dress. Natalie Ayscue was a delightfully evil Joanie, and her sidekick Terrance Coleston masterfully acquired a limp and accent to play the hard-drinking Dr. Einstein.

Mortimer was played with aplomb by Jerian Floyd. Julie Smith was perky and energetic as Elaine and made quite the believable couple with Floyd. Jay Booth was simply hilarious as the inane Teddy. The entire ensemble performed with impressive comedic timing and physicality.

Drama teacher Josh White served as technical director and led the crew to produce one of the most authentic and beautiful sets seen in high school theater recently.

Many GMHS students performed double duty, acting and working with sets, props, lighting and sound. From the 1940s costuming to the hideous scars adorning Ayscue’s face, the cast and crew obviously paid great attention to detail in this performance.

The GMHS theater department will present “Soft Soap” Wednesday, Nov. 18 and Thursday, Nov. 19 and will soon hold auditions for student-directed plays and the spring musical “Bye Bye Birdie.” Given the level of talent and dedication demonstrated in “Arsenic and Old Lace,” an evening in the GMHS auditorium for these productions will be an evening well-spent.

Related articles:

• Garner High presents musical “Bye Bye Birdie”

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