Whenever two or more people with the same interests get together, at some point the conversation tends to center on their common bond. Such was the case recently when my son, Matthew, and I started talking about live theater.
The conversation drifted to the delightful timeless comedy without a single joke in it, “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Matthew was a member of the cast when it was put on by Centralia High School, and I directed it when it was presented at the Evergreen Playhouse in February 1979.
For anyone who’s unfamiliar with this classic, it deals with two kindly-appearing little old ladies who deal with anyone threatening to upset their quiet lifestyle in their own way by treating them to a glass of elderberry wine laced with arsenic. (There are 14 bodies buried in their basement.)
The cast includes a nephew who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, another sinister and wholly evil nephew, a police inspector who doesn’t catch on to the fact that the person he’s interviewing is gagged and tied to a chair. The more I think about that production, the more I realize that it’s the ONLY play I’d be willing and eager to come out of retirement for and direct again.
The conversation with Matthew dealt with the cast members, and how perfect each of them was in their roles. The two ladies were played to perfection by Margaret Oliver and Anne Caldwell, both of whom were founding members of the Evergreen Playhouse back in 1959. We talked about other members of the cast, and were starting to have trouble remembering names and details of something that happened 45 years ago. At least I was.
So, I went to a “scrap book” folder in my file cabinet and came to an unwelcome discovery; out of the 14 members of the cast, 10 are already known to have died, and I’m unsure about the other four! I’ll be ungallant and state the obvious that Anne and Margaret were already the oldest cast members to begin with, but seeing the size of the list of the others is disturbing
Librarian and musician Bob Zimmerman, Centralia College history instructor Les Dooley, former Montgomery Ward manager and later used car dealer Dan Hannan, Centralia College assistant music teacher Lyman Coppess, sign painter and cartoonist Wally Hughes, high school English teacher Walter Jaroszynski (Mr. J), men’s clothier and college business instructor Chuck Dunham and KELA radio announcer and chief engineer Bill Tilton are all facing the heavenly or hellish footlights and/or follow spot.
Not to overlook the others, they were Karen Hatcher, Mike McCarthy, Darryl Mooney and Dale Joachim, and I think I remember meeting Dale again about a year ago, so at least he’s known to still be with us.
“Arsenic and Old Lace” stands out in my mind for another reason: It was one of two plays of the more than a dozen I directed that sold out every single performance. The other was an outlandish comedy, “Bullshot Crummond.”
The reason may have been the drawing power of its two stars, or it may be because a special dress review party, a CAFTA auction gala (I was almost ready to say “snobbish”) event with a glass or two of gratis wine at intermission, as well as the opportunity to be recognized by others as a supporter of the arts and other good things in life.
If you’ve stayed with me so far, I thank you for letting me feel warm again recalling one of the (fortunately) happy moments of my existence.
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Bill Moeller is a former entertainer, mayor, bookstore owner, city council member, paratrooper and pilot living in Centralia. He can be reached at bookmaven321@comcast.net.
