(BASKING RIDGE, NJ) -- The Lord Stirling Theater Company will present Joseph Kesselring’s farcical dark comedy, Arsenic and Old Lace, in the English Barn Theater at the Farmstead Arts Center in Basking Ridge, NJ. Performance take place October 6-8 and October 13-15. In the play, drama critic Mortimer Brewster has just gotten engaged when he discovers that his sweet and lovable spinster aunties have a deadly secret involving lonely old men and elderberry wine laced with arsenic, strychnine, and “just a pinch” of cyanide.
Add in an eccentric brother who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and another criminally insane brother who shows up unexpectedly with his plastic surgeon accomplice and a body to hide, and the result is hilarity and mayhem. Written in 1939, “Arsenic and Old Lace” was a Broadway hit, running for 1,444 performances from 1941 to 1944. One of the great American comedies, the play is best known through the classic 1944 film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra.
Arsenic and Old Lace will open on Friday, October 6, at 7:30pm, with additional performances on October 7 at 7:30pm, October 8 at 2:00pm, October 13 and 14 at 7:30pm, and October 15 at 2:00pm. Tickets are $20 general admission, or $15 for seniors (65 and over), Farmstead Arts members, and students. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door (cash only).
The Lord Stirling Theater Company’s production is directed by William Ward of Basking Ridge. The cast, in order of appearance, includes: Sharon McGuire of Westfield as Abby Brewster, Robert Goodwin of Highland Park as The Rev. Dr. Harper and Dr. Witherspoon, Bob Scarpone of Flanders as Teddy Brewster, Ed McCarty of Bridgewater as Officer Brophy and Mr. Gibbs, Garry Tamburro of Springfield as Officer Klein, Lisa Black of Westfield as Martha Brewster, Katy Cockrell of Fanwood as Elaine Harper, Matthew Gochman of Jersey City as Mortimer Brewster, Lee Grabelsky of Monroe as Jonathan Brewster, Danielle Levitt of Westfield as Dr. Einstein, Allan Gershenson of Linden as Officer O’Hara, and Changkuo Hsieh of Parsippany as The Inspector.
Arsenic and Old Lace concludes The Lord Stirling Theater Company’s fourth season at the Farmstead Arts Center, following their production of Of Mice and Men this past June, And Then There Were None and The Dresser in 2016, The Tempest and Frankenstein’s Fate in 2015, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 2014. A dynamic community of creative artists based in Basking Ridge, the group is committed to presenting innovative theater for diverse audiences, through readings and full productions of classical theater and new works, as well asexploring the American experience through compelling productions that illuminate and celebrate our history, culture and literature. The theater group fosters the next generation of theater artists and audiences by providing unique hands-on educational programming and training in all aspects of theater production.
The English Barn Theater is wheelchair accessible. Anyone anticipating the need for additional accessibility services please send an e-mail in advance to [email protected].
Funds for these events have been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through the State/County Partnership Local Arts Program Grant administered by The Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission.
The Farmstead Arts Center is located at 450 King George Road in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
