Arsenic and Old Lace

One of America's best-loved comedies will kick off a two-week run in Marion Saturday. The McDowell High Titans Theatre presents "Arsenic and Old Lace" by Joseph Kesselring.
Many will remember the classic 1944 film directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant. The play ran on Broadway for four years from 1941 to 1944.
The macabre story revolves around theatre critic and militant bachelor Mortimer Brewster's (Jaime Frye) marriage to beautiful Elaine (Alix Williams), while trying to keep her away from his zany relatives. When he learns just how truly crazy his relatives are, he tries to get them all put away.

Brewster's kindly old maiden aunts, Abby (Mercedes Peterson) and Martha (Kristina Bartlett) take in down and out borders and, if they feel sorry for the old gentlemen, poison them to put them out of their misery.
His delusional younger brother Teddy (Drew Newton) believes he is Theodore Roosevelt. The aunts call their poisoned gentlemen "yellow fever victims" and get Teddy to bury them in "Panama," which is actually the cellar of their Brooklyn home.
To make matters worse for Mortimer, the family is unexpectedly reunited with Mortimer's sadistic homicidal maniac brother, Jonathon (Joshua Hutchins) and his associate, drunken amateur plastic surgeon Doctor Einstein (Jaime Newton), who are hiding from the law and have a corpse of their own to bury in Panama.
Can Mortimer get rid of the visitors? Can he get Teddy and his aunts put away without alerting the cops to the graveyard downstairs?
And can he go through with his marriage, now that it is clear that insanity runs in his family? It'll cost you a mere $5 (or $7 at the door) to find out.
The play is directed by faculty member Greg Hils and student Jessie Emery; technical direction by faculty member Allison Briggs and student Josh Clopton.
Advance tickets are on sale in the high school's media center and can be bought over the phone by calling 652-2440.
Show times are Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, and Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, Dec. 18, 19 and 20. Evening shows start at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee is at 2:30.