Roughcast Theatre revive a comedy classic
Posted on 13th November 2022
Frank Capra’s movie of the same name is such a perfect example of the screwball comedy genre he made his own, it’s easy to forget that Arsenic and Old Lace was originally a play, and a very successful one, written by Joseph Kesselring in the forties. RoughCast is a theatre group more usually associated with Shakespeare and the occasional classic text, so this was something of a departure. The last comedy they presented was Charlie’s Aunt back in 2016, a show in which Benjamin Wilmott showed his comedy chops to full effect.
He was at it again in this production, taking on the considerable task of filling Cary Grant’s shoes in the role of Mortimer Brewster, investing it with his own energy and wacky sense of fun. Bruce Alcorn was hilariously fearsome as the psychopathic brother, and we got a delightful cameo from Peter Long as the play-writing policeman. Best of all, though, and the stars of this production, were Annie McClarnon and Pat Parris as the murderous sisters. I’m less familiar with the work of Annie McClarnon, but Pat Parris has popped up in countless roles in the past, usually playing second fiddle to the leads. What a pleasure to finally see her front and centre demonstrating what a fine actress she is.
For all its superficial cosiness, Kerrelring’s play fearlessly deconstructs the clichés of theatre (I particular enjoyed the pot shots he takes at critics) and to that extent Simon Evan’s bold, nigh on brutalist, set design seemed entirely in keeping with spirit of the play. He has been keen to bring it to the stage since 2019, and his infectious enthusiasm seemed to have spread throughout the cast, who clearly had a marvellous time performing a play decades ahead of its time.