Just in time for Halloween, the Averitt Center for the Arts presents a black comedy about a twisted family that would give the famous Addams a run for their money.
"Arsenic and Old Lace" will run in the Emma Kelly Theater on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m.
When Mortimer Brewster, a newly engaged theater critic, drops by his family home to tell his doting aunts about his upcoming nuptials, the sweet spinsters reveal that they have picked up a new hobby: assisting elderly men in an expedited trip to the afterlife and burying the bodies in the basement.
What follows is a frantic weekend of cover-up exploits as Mortimer tries to keep his aunts, homicidal brother Jonathan and delusional brother Teddy (who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt) away from his fiancée, Elaine, so she won't become embroiled in the escalating insanity - and hilarity.
Lisa Abbott, associate professor of theater at Georgia Southern University, directed a scene from "Arsenic and Old Lace" when she was an undergraduate student and knew at once that she wanted to stage the whole play.
"It's one of my favorite shows, and I really can't do it at the college level," Abbott said.
"Arsenic" is a madcap, fast-paced black comedy in the style of the 1930s and '40s, with rapid-fire dialogue and quick scenes, and it demands comedic finesse from its actors.
There are several familiar faces from the Averitt STARS in the production, including leading man JJ Crawford (Mortimer), whose notable performances include Harold Hill in "The Music Man" and Emile de Becque in last spring's "South Pacific." Crawford is accompanied by Deborah Hill and Eileen Baynes, who play Mortimer's indulgent and homicidal aunties; Ashley Whittemore as Mortimer's fiancée, Elaine; and John Parcels and Brooks Adams, taking the roles of Mortimer's brothers.
Rounded out by a large supporting cast, "Arsenic" promises a night of delightfully dark humor.
To purchase tickets, visit www.averittcenterforthearts.org or call (912) 212-2827 during Box Office hours, Tuesday-Friday, from noon to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12 and GSU or OTC students with current student IDs.