Arsenic and Old Lace - Acting Edition (Acting Edition for Theater Productions)

by Joseph Kesselring

Book Overview

THE STORY: We meet the charming and innocent ladies who populate their cellar with the remains of socially and religiously acceptable roomers; the antics of their nephew who thinks he is Teddy... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822200651
• Release Date: October 1944
• Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Witty, funny and a tad disturbing

It was hard to read this without thinking of the wonderful movie. In a nutshell it is a play about a family where mental illness (insanity) is rampant. One character thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and is building the Panama canal in the cellar. Two characters think they are performing a charity by poisoning lonely elderly men which the Teddy Roosevelt character perceives to be victims of yellow fever and buries them in Panama canal locks. These characters are perceived by neighbors as kind and gentle souls. Another character is an escapee from a hospital for the criminally insane. It is understandable why the sane member of the family is afraid to get married. He finds out that he is not related by blood to this family. The play is wonderfully written. I found it disturbing that these kindly gentle elderly women were serial killers. It just goes to show things are not always what they appear. Also, torture was alluded to in the play. All in all a good read.

"A shame...a nice family like this hatching a cuckoo."

Although these words refer to Teddy Brewster in this hilarious play by Joseph Kesselring, they could have applied equally to most of the other members of the Brewster household. Teddy thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt, always "charging" upstairs when he is not in the basement digging "locks for the Panama Canal." His two elderly aunts, with whom he lives, also have their own bizarre secret, for which the hand-dug "locks" in the basement are employed to good effect. Jonathan, Teddy's "disagreeable" brother, who disappeared many years ago, returns during the play with secrets of his own. With his face altered by plastic surgery, he is accompanied by Dr. Einstein, with whom he plans to set up an operating room in the house so the doctor can give new faces to criminals. The only normal person in the family is Mortimer, a drama critic who hates plays, engaged to marry Elaine, the innocent daughter of the minister next door. Mortimer is particularly upset by Jonathan's return--"the most detestable, vicious, venomous form of animal life I ever knew." The frantic action, the ironies, the comic routines, and the dramatic surprises all center around two bodies, hidden at various times in the window seat of the living room, and the reactions to them by the various people within the household. The local police, friends of Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha, stop by to chat, have coffee, and protect these "sweet" old ladies, often at the worst possible moments, while Mortimer tries to decide what to do about his strange family and the bodies in the house. Arsenic and Old Lace is such a strong play, with so many hilarious moments, that it is not surprising that this is a staple of local theaters and high school drama groups. Much of the play involves sight gags, contretemps, and weird characters behaving outrageously. Careful delivery of lines and subtlety of gesture are far less important here than the high- speed action, over-the-top characterizations, and split second timing of entrances and exits. One of the funniest and most often performed plays of American theater, Arsenic and Old Lace is as delightful in the twenty-first century as it was when it was first performed in 1941. Mary Whipple

Two Aunts, Theodore Roosevelt, and Poison.

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE is one of the classics of American theatre. It's a fast-paced play that has some great witty dialogue and unforgettable scenes. The play was made famous by the Frank Capra directed movie starring Cary Grant and has been a staple of community theatres across the USA since then.Though there is a lead character here (Mortimer) the show is really carried by the supporting cast; e.g. it doesn't work without a Teddy who actually believes he's Theodore Roosevelt.There are some plays that most people find boring to read. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE isn't one of them and I recommend it to anyone.

Fantastic!!!

Read it, loved it, gotta do it! This would make a great production and be fun to perform! A must read!!

unpredictable, refreshing,and hilarious

Arsenic and Old Lace is a very original comedy. Very light hearted and funny. The characters each have their own quirks and idosyncrasies which makes each one of them enjoyable to follow through the unpredictable storyline.