Darlington’s fine arts department will present Joseph Kesselring's “Arsenic and Old Lace” at the Zelle Black Box Theatre, Oct. 28-30. Evening performances of this year’s fall play will take the stage Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. A matinee performance will be offered Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
"I am so excited about producing this show over Halloween weekend. It is so much fun and such a wild ride!” said Theatre Director Shelley Daniel. “It has a little bit of everything including drama, romance and side-splitting comedy. Our company is working so hard and I am very proud of these young artists!"
Written in 1939 by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, “Arsenic and Old Lace” is arguably America’s most beloved farce. The New York Times reviewed the play as "so funny none of us will ever forget it."
Set in the early 1940s, “Arsenic and Old Lace” is a dark comedy that tells the story of newspaper drama critic Mortimer Brewster, a normal, run-of-the-mill guy who is anxious to marry his fiance, the girl next door and a minister’s daughter, Elaine.
Standing solidly between Mortimer and matrimonial bliss is his blooming awareness that he's a branch on the wackiest, weirdest family tree that ever grew!
His two sweet aunts, Abby and Martha, have taken up murder as their favorite community service. Out of a twisted sense of sympathy, they regularly poison elderly men with a mixture of arsenic and elderberry wine and bury them in the cellar.
Cousin Teddy sports a handlebar moustache and believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt as he regularly charges San Juan Hill and digs locks for the Panama Canal in the cellar.
Mortimer’s horrid brother Jonathan has just returned to town from an asylum with a new face, a track record of dark deeds, and an inebriated sidekick named Dr. Einstein.
It’s “Home Sweet Homicide” as Mortimer tries to thwart the police, conceal a corpse, curtail more killing, and convince Elaine that a wedding with a man who is drowning in such a murky gene pool would lead to nothing but woe.
General admission tickets for “Arsenic and Old Lace” are $7 each. Due to the limited seating available in the Black Box Theatre, guests are strongly advised to reserve tickets ahead of time at www.darlingtonschool.org/fallplay.
Current Darlington families, faculty and staff, and Tiger Boosters can now reserve and purchase tickets for the performances. Tickets for the general public will be available online beginning Oct. 18. Any tickets remaining on the day of the show can be purchased at the door before each performance.
For more information about the event, contact sdaniel@darlingtonschool.com.
Click here to view a list of the cast and crew of “Arsenic and Old Lace.
