Arsenic & Old Lace

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Steve Noll

Peggy Rosin, Joseph Halaas and Patricia Whitely (from left) in "Arsenic and Old Lace."

Peggy Rosin, Joseph Halaas and Patricia Whitely (from left) in "Arsenic and Old Lace," OUT!Cast Theatre, 2024.

Of the 1930s situation comedies, Arsenic and Old Lace is the one that most deserves to be a classic. The absurd plot — two elderly sisters poison their lonely male boarders out of some combination of sympathy and pity — is humanized by a cast of oddballs including nephew Teddy, who believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt (the role involves “quite a lot of charging up and down stairs”) and “normal” nephew Mortimer, the supposedly sane center the rest of the characters revolve around. As Mortimer discovers his aunts' secret, bodies are switched and hijinx ensue in the best way. This OUT!Cast Theatre production is a fundraiser for Madison Theatre Guild, Madison’s oldest community theater. Bully! Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday plus 2 p.m., March 16 and 22. UPDATE: March 20-22 performances moving to 8 p.m., March 27-28 and 2 p.m., March 29.

media release: The Bartell Theatre, 113 E Mifflin Street, will bring a touch of dark humor to a dreary month with the American classic “Arsenic & Old Lace” performed in the upstairs Drury theatre. The story is about a newly engaged man discovering his elderly aunts have an unusual hobby: poisoning men and burying them in the cellar with the help of his brother (who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt). Hilarity ensues when a third brother, and serial killer, comes home to discover his elderly aunts are better at murder! The show is a screwball comedy played for laughs with a family-friendly PG rating. 

The production is a fundraiser performance for Madison Theatre Guild, the oldest community theatre in Madison (established in 1946). Post Covid, MTG has struggled to recover and last summer considered shutting down. As one of the participating theater companies (PTCs) of the Bartell, a decision by the Bartell Board was made to come together to help MTG raise funds to stay afloat and return next year with a full season. Steve Noll will produce and direct through his OUT!Cast Theatre productions. 

Beer and Wine are available for patrons in the lobby but have been promised there’s no Elderberry wine with arsenic. 

“Arsenic & Old Lace” will run for seven performances and all tickets ($25, seniors are $22) are reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased at BartellTheatre.org or calling the Bartell Box Office (Tue-Fri 2p-6p) at 608-661-9696. Running time is 2:20 with one 15-minute intermission.