'Aresenic and Old Lace' is Players' latest production

RIO RANCHO — Some remember the year 1941 as the year Joe DiMaggio went on a 56-game hitting streak; others may recall that December “Day of Infamy” on Dec. 7, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Those more sophisticated may recall it was the debut year for the play “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

Here’s the synopsis, from stageagent.com: “Mortimer Brewster is living a happy life: he has a steady job at a prominent New York newspaper, he’s just become engaged, and he gets to visit his sweet spinster aunts to announce the engagement. Mortimer always knew that his family had a bit of a mad gene — his brother believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt and his great-grandfather used to scalp Indians for pleasure — but his world is turned upside down when he realizes that his dear aunts have been poisoning lonely old men for years!

“When Mortimer’s maniacal brother, Jonathan returns on the night that the aunts were planning to bury the newest victim, Mortimer must rally to help his aunts and protect his fiancé — all while trying to keep his own sanity. as well. An uproarious farce on plays involving murder, ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ has become a favorite amongst regional theatres throughout America” — and that now includes the Rio Rancho Community Players.

This isn’t your father’s community theater production, once you hear about the credits of the “Brewster sisters,” who’ve been singing and acting most of their lives.

Leigh Irvin, who grew up in Farmington and is a retired FBI agent, plays Martha Brewster, has “been doing theater for probably 20 years.

“My husband (Joel Irvin, also in ‘A & OL’) and I love to do shows together. … We actually bought an RV, and we were traveling around. We did a ‘Mama Mia’ production in North Carolina once, and a show in St. Louis. We moved back to Albuquerque for family reasons and found the theater community here very vibrant,” she said. “I’ve done two Albuquerque Little Theater shows and a Landmark musical … I love theater.”

Her most memorable role, she said after pondering the question, was probably “Rose” in “Dancing at Lughnasa.”

“I love musicals, usually. I played one of the ‘Dynamos’ in ‘Mama Mia;’ that was a fun one,” she said, but her role as Martha Brewster “is actually one of the fun-est parts I’ve had.

“I said (at auditions) I wanted one of the sister parts,” and found the pairing with Deborah Schoenbaum resulted in “a real chemistry there — we could be sisters.”

In the play, the sisters, who have lived in the same house their entire lives, are the sweetest ladies who finish each other’s sentences.

Schoenbaum, aka Abby Brewster, spent her whole life in San Francisco until moving to Rio Rancho seven years ago, learning about the Rio Rancho Community Players only because she works out at the aquatics center on Loma Colorado Boulevard.

Her water aerobics instructor likes to play Motown tunes while the workout is going on, and Schoenbaum knows all the words.

Someone, enjoying her voice and wondering if she sang professionally, and mentioned a possible opportunity to showcase it with the Players; Schoenbaum checked it out and was soon involved, to the extent of serving on the executive committee, with what she called “a fun role” in the Players’ “Airport Encounters” last year.

Schoenbaum is also a theater lifer: “I was singing on stage when I was in kindergarten – ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’” she said. In high school, she was in “West Side Story,” “Oliver” and, as a senior, she was “Dolly” in “Hello, Dolly.”

In college, her love for theater — and band — continued.

Her favorite role?

“I think ‘Dolly’ in ‘Hello Dolly’ was a pivotal moment for me,” she replied. “It’s what really made me (think,) ‘I’m gonna keep doing this, no matter what.’ I was the only African American in the entire cast, but I got the lead role, and it just taught me if you can embody a character, it really doesn’t matter what your background is — you can become that person.”

She happily portrayed Rizzo as the leader of the Pink Girls in “Grease.”

After college, she did community theater in the City by the Bay.

“Now, I’m like Leigh; there aren’t roles for women our age,” she lamented. “My advice to anyone my age is don’t give up what you love — just keep going. You’ll find something you want to do.”

Here’s the whole cast, directed by Kay Peters Johnson: Jeffery Siddall (Mortimer Brewster), Deborah Schoenbaum (Abby Brewster), Leigh Irvin (Martha Brewster), Joel Irvin (Rev. Dr. Harper), Jutin Holt (Teddy Brewster), Larry Bernstein (Jonathan Brewster), Samantha Ramirez (Officer Brophy), Kristin Mackey (Officer Klein), BrieAnn Gillespie (Officer O’Hara), Amina Everett (Lt. Rooney), Carrie Grajeda (Elaine Harper), Rod Etmer (Mr. Gibbs), Thom Munson (Mr. Witherspoon) and Ari Frizzell (understudy for Elaine).

Players founder Mel Sussman said he’s happy to see Johnson as director because, “This time I am giving all my attention to producing this play and searching for a new theater and leaving the direction to Kay. … This is how I believe you build a quality community theater group — incorporating as many people as possible and helping them grow.”

And, “There’s something for everybody,” Leigh Irvin says, advising parents to keep younger children away from this production. “There’s not really a boring moment to it.”

Opening night is 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Rounding out the nine performances are 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays, April 28, May 5 and May 12, with a “Mother’s Day High Tea” performance on the 12th; 7:30 p.m. shows on Fridays, May 3 and 10; and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays May 4 and 11, plus 7:30 p.m. on May 11.

Performances will again be at St. Francis Episcopal Church Dessert Theatre, 2903 Cabezon Blvd., on the northwest corner of Cabezon and Golf Course Road.

Tickets can be purchased online.