Arsenic and Old Lace – Whidbey Playhouse

Arsenic and Old Lace is a dark comedy centered on the eccentric Brewster family of Brooklyn. Descendants of Mayflower settlers, the Brewster clan has taken a rather sinister turn, with most of its members turning out to be homicidal maniacs. Mortimer Brewster makes a shocking discovery when he learns that his two unmarried aunts, Abby and Martha, have developed a disturbing hobby – they are systematically poisoning lonely elderly men by serving them homemade elderberry wine laced with deadly substances like arsenic, strychnine and just a touch of cyanide. Meanwhile, Mortimer’s brother Teddy believes he’s actually President Theodore Roosevelt, and their other brother, Jonathan, who is no less murderous, returns home to evade the law. As Mortimer grapples with the challenge of ridding his family of their insanity, it leads to a series of uproarious and chaotic events.