Falmouth Theatre Guild Presents "Arsenic & Old Lace"

The Falmouth Theatre Guild presents the black comedy “Arsenic & Old Lace” at Highfield Theater January 30 to February 8, 2015. Show times are Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Highfield Theater is located at 58 Highfield Drive in Falmouth. Tickets can be purchased at the box office during the two hours before curtain or through the Falmouth Theatre Guild’s website, www.falmouththeatreguild.org or by calling 866-811-4111.

“Arsenic & Old Lace,” a black comedy with plenty of screwball elements, is perhaps best known through Frank Capra’s 1944 film adaption starring Cary Grant. The play centers on two elderly sisters who are famous in their Brooklyn neighborhood for their numerous acts of charity. Unfortunately, however, their charity includes poisoning lonely old men who come to their home looking for lodging (because they look so happy when they die). The two women are assisted in their crimes by their nephew Teddy who believes he is (and dresses as) Teddy Roosevelt (and who frequently blasts a bugle and yells “charge” as he bounds up the stairs). Matters get complicated when a second nephew, Mortimer, a theater critic, discovers the murders just as he’s about to marry the girl next door. Things get even stranger when a third nephew, Jonathan, appears with his sidekick Dr. Einstein after having just escaped from a prison for the criminally insane. A delightful and nutty romp for all ages.