Audiences laughed out loud as the Amarillo Little Theatre presented the comedy classic Arsenic and Old Lace at the Allen Shankles Mainstage starting October 24, 2024. This hilarious dark comedy by Joseph Kesselring set in 1940’s Brooklyn was the perfect outing this Fall.

When theater critic Mortimer Brewster comes home to announce his engagement, the  announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunts’ 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 parlor, they killed him! Further complications arise as he deals with a brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt and another murderous brother returning home after plastic surgery to hide from the police. Between his aunts’ belief that killing old men to relieve them of their loneliness is an act of kindness and Mortimer’s own hesitancy about marriage — it’ll be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his wedding. Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic dark comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family.

The production boasted a talented cast led by Shannon Mashburn as Abby Brewster, Lynaé Jacob as Martha Brewster, Chris Gandy as Mortimer Brewster, Zach Oehm as Jonathan Brewster, Jeff Jarnagin as Dr. Einstein, Evelyn Reeder as Elaine Harper and Justin Loe as Teddy Brewster. Supporting characters included Jonathan Mobley as Dr. Harper, Ethan Wilkerson as Officer Brophy, Harrison Blount as Officer Klein, Corey Waide as Mr. Gibbs, Nels Bjork as Officer O’Hara, Caleb Cordes as Lt. Rooney, Michael Westmoreland as Mr. Witherspoon, Cade Walsh as Mr. Hoskins and Alexander Cowden as Mr. Spenalzo.

Artistic Director for this production was Peg Lovett with Travis Tidmore serving as Assistant Director and Ashley DeVoid as the Production Assistant.

This madcap comedy kept audiences laughing and on the edge of their seats!