Fresh from proposing to his girl Elaine, New York drama critic Mortimer discovers his delightful, charitable aunts are poisoning lonely old gentlemen and burying them in the cellar with the help of his brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. Mortimer doesn't dare tell Elaine, but sorting this out is definitely a priority. Then, another complication: his serial-killer brother Jonathan arrives looking for a place to hide out while having the plastic surgery that will save him from being caught and sent back to prison. Can Mortimer save his family, see justice done, and marry Elaine? Arsenic and Old Lace can be described as a classic dark comedy with plenty of laughs, melodramatic thrills, and a little slapstick. It's all of that. But it's also a play about wanting to do your best for the good people in your life, the desire to shelter them not only from blatant evil, but also from loneliness, ridicule and heartbreak
