Dark humour, rat poison, and a family full of homicidal maniacs are coming to the Quattro Hotel & Conference Centre later this month.
Fortunately, they’re not coming as hotel guests – but as a production of Arsenic and Old Lace put on by Algoma Repertory Theatre.
The play follows the Brewsters, a family made up of a few nutty, murderous members and a relatively sane nephew weathering the storm.
“It's about a crazy family in the 1940s and the one sane figure in the middle, our nephew, who has to deal with all of the insanity,” said cast member Carol McLean.
“It starts with the two old aunts. He finds out that we've been murdering people.”
Despite the dark premise, humour abounds through the play – and McLean said “the audience will be pleased and delighted” with how it ends.
“Just immerse yourself in the nuttiness of the Brewsters,” she said.
“I think we're all a little crazy in our own way, and in this particular family, we all revel in our own insanity.”
Written by Joseph Kesselring in 1939, the play had over 1,400 performances in its original run on Broadway and went on to become a movie in 1944.
McLean said this production will stay true to the original – pop culture references and all – but that it will still be enjoyable and relatable to audiences of all ages.
“The costuming, the language, we haven't changed any of the language,” she said.
“It's an extraordinarily well written play. Every line has something to it.”
For Marc Beaudette, who is directing the play, Arsenic and Old Lace has been on his radar for some time.
“We've been thinking about it for quite a while. It is really a classic, and I think it's one of the first comedies that used situational humour,” he said.
“It's kind of like the predecessor of a Three’s Company, where something's happening and you misunderstand it.”
The show will run from Nov. 19 to 22.
Guests can come out for dinner and the show, or just attend the show at 8 p.m.
Tickets and more about Arsenic and Old Lace can be found on Algoma Repertory Theatre's website.