Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic black comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family.

Drama critic Mortimer Brewster’s engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunt’s window seat. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves, only to learn that the two old women aren’t just aware of the dead man in their parlour, they killed him!

Written by Joseph Kesselring, Arsenic and Old Lace is directed by Peter Newling

CHARACTERS
Abby Brewster & Martha Brewster: Playing age 65+. Sweet, charming spinster sisters, devoted to each other. Each character are like anyone’s favourite nanna. Generous, pious and thoughtful.

Teddy Brewster: Playing age 55+. Pleasantly oddball brother of Abby and Martha. Thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt.

Mortimer Brewster: Playing age 30s. The Cary Grant role from the film. Nephew of Abby, Martha and Teddy. Drama critic by trade. Quite suave and outgoing.

Jonathan Brewster: Playing age 30s or 40s. The black sheep of the family. Evil, selfish and creepy – a con artist on the run from the law.

Dr Einstein: Playing age 40s or 50s. Cosmetic surgeon by trade and an alcoholic by habit. Rather hapless sidekick to Jonathan.

Reverent Harper: Playing age 65+. The kindly vicar from the Brewster’s local church. A rather lonely widower who adores his daughter.

Elaine Harper: Playing age late 20s or early 30s. Daughter of Rev Harper and girlfriend of Mortimer. The all-American girl. Quite ahead of her time for the 1940s – feisty, playful and independent.

Officer Brophy & Officer Klein: Playing age 30s or younger. Astute young coppers from the local station. Always welcome the chance to visit the Brewsters.

Officer O’Hara. Playing age 30s or younger. Colleague of Brophy and Klein. A budding playwright with a tendency to bore his listeners to tears.

Lieutenant Rooney: Playing age 50s. Rather grouchy head honcho of the local police station. Doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Likes to be the boss.

Mr Gibbs: Playing age 65+. Lonely old man looking for a safe place to live. Not the friendliest of types, but likeable enough.

Mr Witherspoon: Playing age 55+. Supervisor at the local sanatorium. Kindly, be patient and understanding.

We are seeking performers from a wide range of ages, cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds, gender identities and body types to be part of this special production. The creative team are open to different interpretations of the character descriptions.