Arsenic & Old Lace

Synopsis

Premiering in 1941, Arsenic and Old Lace is one of the most popular dark comedies of the American stage. Written by Joseph Kesselring during the early years of World War II, the play satirizes the contradictions of American morality through the story of two sweet-old-ladies, Martha and Abby Brewster, who secretly poison lonely old men with tainted elderberry wine. When their drama-obsessed nephew, Mortimer Brewster, discovers their gruesome secret just as a string of new chaos unfolds, hilarious mayhem ensues. Its sharp humour and twisted characters turned it into a long-running hit, and it remains a staple of dark comedy theatre today.