Arsenic and Old Lace

Alley Theatre invites Dixie Carter and Mia Dillon to help spruce up an old favorite

Comments (0) By Dusti Rhodes Thursday, Oct 4 2007

How do you take a play done to death by every high school, college and community theater and make it worth watching again? For Arsenic and Old Lace, the Alley Theatre brought in some nationally acclaimed talent to mix with an already stellar lineup of actors. “Coming back to the city of Houston and the Alley Theatre — to Gregory Boyd and the entire Alley family — what a joy!” actress Dixie Carter said in a press release. “And to be part of this timeless play — I’m tickled pink, blue, red, yellow and purple.” Carter is well known in the television and theater communities for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on Designing Women and more recently for her guest role on Desperate Housewives, which earned her an Emmy nomination, as well as her numerous appearances in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Joining Carter will be the Tony- and Drama Desk-nominated Mia Dillon; the two will assume the roles of the main characters Abbey and Martha Brewster, respectively.

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The elderly Brewster sisters have a bad habit of luring lonely men into their home and poisoning them with arsenic-spiked elderberry wine. This comes as a surprise to their nephew Mortimer, who fears the two will get caught. As dubious as the plot sounds, it actually makes for many hilarious moments as Mortimer tries to stop his aunts as well as save them from incarceration. The play’s quirky, lovable characters and screwball writing make for a surefire hit no matter who’s behind it, but luckily for us, this time it’s in the hands of Houston’s best.
Oct. 5-Nov. 4, 2007