Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...People tend to think of "Arsenic and Old Lace" as a thriller, if they think of it at all, and that's not true. It's not a whodunit but a freewheeling satire. Kesselring got in his licks at critics (his character hates the theater), but also at Irish cops, Albert Einstein (Guy Van Swearingen plays a fictional "Dr. Einstein") and a whole variety of other figures. It's a wacky show: In Parson's production, the incomparable A.C. Smith, playing a thinly veiled spoof of Boris Karloff originally, shows up with a face so disfigured you briefly worry for the actor's health."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...First off, it's really funny.Maybe not often rolling in the aisles funny, but always funny pleasurable.Under Ron OJ Parson's direction, the play moves as it needs to between a bit of realism, heavy doses of screwball goofiness, some outright farce - the physical humor here is particularly effective - and a good comic scare or two."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Director Ron OJ Parson handles this multi-ring circus with the perfect light touch. The ensemble plays the text’s outlandishness as if it were ordinary behavior and couples it with superb bits of physical comedy. John Culbert’s scene design conjures a Victorian dream house, complete with a staircase sturdy enough for Teddy’s repeated charges up San Juan Hill and a window seat capacious enough for several bodies at a time."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...Considering the times when this play opened during World War II, Americans needed anything to laugh about, and the dark humor of Arsenic and Old Lace was quoted as being "so funny that none of us will ever forget it by The New York Times. Using humor to describe a murderous event to bring levity can be construed as inhumane, but it's humanity's way of coping with a sinister society. Arsenic and Old Lace at the Court Theatre provides its audience with a tranquil evening of laughter before returning to the reality of division and anarchy."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Eighty-three years from when it was first produced, the classic "Arsenic and Old Lace" still keeps us laughing. The spectacle of two maiden aunts (i.e., two old fussbudgets) killing off middle-aged and elderly men is as clever now as it was back in the day. Based on a beautifully written script by Joseph Otto Kesselring and directed by resident artist Ron OJ Parson, this combination dark comedy and macabre farce features characters whose motives are dubious and whose actions are outright reprehensible and immoral."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...Court Theatre has opened its 2022-23 season with "Arsenic and Old Lace," Joseph Kesselring's maniacally zany 1941 Broadway hit that is probably most widely known by way of its 1944 film version starring Cary Grant and Boris Karloff."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...This insanely funny comedy is a treasure trove of fun. Anyone unfamiliar with Joseph Kesselring’s comedy classic will enjoy its black comedy, its broad characters and the farcical style of its presentation. Ron OJ Parsons has crafted a production that mines every comic bit and all the bizarre plot elements to perfection. He really rewards audiences with a joyous evening of tricks and treats, and all just in time for Halloween."
Buzznews.net - Highly Recommended
"...Murder’s a hoot in Court Theatre’s revival of Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Lighthearted and stylish, director Ron OJ Parson’s production makes for a charming season opener. Court Theatre was awarded a Tony award for best regional theatre and it feels fitting for a well-known classic to be this year’s kick-off. Slapstick humor and sinfully crackling dialogue are brought to life by an excellent ensemble of some of Chicago’s favorite performers."
Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...But—the thing about chestnuts is, to be really delicious, they must be perfectly roasted. And while that perfection is mostly achieved in the show’s first act, somewhere in the middle of an overlong act two, the production, directed by Ron OJ Parson, begins to lose its savor: the timing slows, the energy lags and the two best characters, Aunts Abby and Martha, are too-often offstage."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...Court Theatre has so deftly fulfilled their mission to reimagine classic theatre for modern audiences, it's hard to believe that Joseph Otto Kesselring's "Arsenic and Old Lace" premiered in 1941! More of an ensemble piece, each character is so fully realized that, despite their outrageous natures, they're never pushed beyond believability. In a cast of could-be zany caricatures, each actor stays true to their subtext and intentions, never allowing the absurdity of their circumstances to overstep reality. That's what truly seals the deal for a masterful production!"
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Resident Artist, Ron OJ Parson, directs this beloved American classic, bringing much-needed humor and healing laughter to the stage in Chicago’s Court Theater’s opener of the 2022/23 – the perfect start to an amazing season of theater at one of the city’s greatest theater companies."
BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended
"...Joseph Kesselring's 1941 play ARSENIC AND OLD LACE combines farce, explicitly dark comedy, and a little murder. Director Ron OJ Parson's decision to envision the central Brewster family as a wealthy Black American family gives the play a modern twist. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE has historically been performed by mainly white actors-though there's no reason in the text for this to be so. Seeing the mischievous and murderous sisters Abby and Martha Brewster played by TayLar and Celeste Williams adds to the power dynamic at play: Now it's two elderly Black women who set on a mission to help elderly white men find peace-with help from some poisoned elderberry wine."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Did I mention that in this Court Theatre production, the Brewster family happens to be Black? No colorblind casting here. All of the Brewsters—even the ancestors shown in photos on the wall—are Black. Their neighbors, the police, the doctor, Mortimer’s fiancé Elaine (Emma Jo Boyden) and others who come into their home are by and large, white. This was a masterstroke on the part of director and Court resident artist Ron OJ Parson that is very effective. The chemistry of the cast is so extraordinary that we completely buy that this is a truly close family."