Arsenic and Old Lace to be performed

Submitted information

Get ready for a side-splitting murder mystery as Lincolnview Theatre presents the classic dark comedy, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” by Joseph Kesselring. Performances will be held at the Van Wert Civic Theatre on October 26-27, and November 2-3.

The play follows the darkly comedic exploits of the Brewster sisters, Abby (Hadley Goins) and Martha (Olivia Snyder), two seemingly sweet old ladies who believe they are offering lonely elderly gentlemen a warm cup of elderberry wine laced with a lethal dose of arsenic. Their world is turned upside down when their nephew, Mortimer Brewster (Noah Peters), arrives with his fiancée, Elaine Harper (Grace Linton). Mortimer soon discovers a body hidden in the window seat, unaware it’s just the tip of the iceberg of his aunts’ murderous deeds.

Adding to the chaos is Mortimer’s eccentric brother, Teddy Brewster (Carson Cowdrick), who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt. The plot thickens further with the arrival of another long-lost nephew, the murderous Jonathan Brewster (Kaleb Denman) and his side-kick Dr. Einstein (Abby Price). A cast of colorful characters, including Witherspoon (Blaze Linser), Rev. Dr. Harper and Mr. Gibbs (Trace Klausing), police officers (Finn Howard, Gabby Thomas, Aaron Sawyer, Destiny Breese), and a pair of unfortunate dead guys (Elijah Martz, Charles Welker, Owen Dannefelser), round out this hilarious and suspenseful production.

Zae Dee Lippi will serve as the host for the show, and the talented stage crew includes Amelia Magner, Abby Dannenfelser, Gracen Hubble, Cyrai Hammons, Izzie Bowers, and Aiden Cowdrick. The directing team includes Mr. Chad Kraner, Mr. Adam Ries, and Mrs. Kim Pollock. Costuming for the show has been provided by Mrs. Suzanne Kreischer and Ann Nussbuam.

Tickets are available for purchase ahead of time at the Lincolnview High School office, the school website or on the Van Wert Civic Theatre’s online box office: vwct.org.