I’ve been promising a real Mohawk Valley adventure, and here it is. An authentic gem, unique to the Mohawk Valley: Ilion Little Theatre, where Steven and I went last night to attend a production of Arsenic and Old Lace.
My only regret is that this post will be published on the afternoon of closing night, so any local readers whose theatre appetite is whetted by my words may have to scramble or miss out. Then again, I know a couple of my local readers (you know who you are) are actually in the show. There may not even be any other local readers. How many readers do you suppose I have, anyways? I sometimes make these self-deprecating jokes about having few or no readers. It could be true.
Be that as it may, on to the play (hey, that rhymes).
Many people are familiar with the movie Arsenic and Old Lace starring Cary Grant, which as based on the play. I have never seen the movie from beginning to end, but I understand there are some similarities and some differences. One difference is that in the movie the guy that’s supposed to look like Boris Karloff is actually played by Boris Karloff. So the “you look like Frankenstein” jokes maybe worked better in the movie. However, Raphael DiLorenzo, who plays the part in the play, looks sufficiently threatening that the jokes are not off-base, and he is hilariously offended by the comparison. Ron Creighton, who plays the role Peter Lorre played in the movie, the Karloff character’s henchman, is also very funny. The two play off each other comically to the delight of the audience.
I had written this much on my first break at work (remember the Overtime Blues?). When I got on my second break, my cold symptoms had kicked back in, causing my brain to flee from my body to parts unknown. I thought, “I can’t mention only two members of the cast; they were all wonderful!” But I looked down the cast list and I just couldn’t do it. Oh dear.
In my defense, I’d like to mention that I felt AWFUL yesterday. I came home from work and slept for an hour an a half, got up, showered, and stoked myself with coffee, because I was DETERMINED not to miss this play. I was really glad I went, because it is laugh out loud funny, a real quality production. However, it did not get over till after 11 p.m. I got up at 3:30 a.m. to work. I’m afraid this is as much as I’m going to be able to write today.
Still, I can publish this much on closing night. At least I’ve given my beloved Ilion Little Theatre this much of a plug. And what’s to stop me from writing a continuation of this post tomorrow and mentioning every last cast member. It can’t entice anybody to see the show, but it might be worth a read. For more information on Ilion Little Theatre, visit their website at http://www.ilionlittletheatre.org. You can also like them on Facebook.
Mohawk Valley Girl 