'Arsenic and Old Lace' opens at Prime Stage Theatre

It’s one of the old war horses of Broadway theater and yet a play that never goes out of style.

“Arsenic and Old Lace” returns to the stage this weekend as the final show of the 2021-22 season for the Prime Stage Theatre company.

The play officially opens at the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side Saturday night at 8 p.m. and runs through May 15. (A “Pay What You Can” preview is set for Friday night.)

“Arsenic and Old Lace” is a dark comedy that tells the story of two elderly sisters named Brewster who poison lonely old men who come to their Brooklyn home looking for lodging. It’s not as grim as it sounds, but rather a madcap affair that The New York Times said was “so funny none of us will ever forget it” when it opened in 1941.

“It came out just as World War II was looking like something America was going to have to get involved in, so it served (as a distraction) at the time and hopefully it can serve a similar kind of role here 80 years later,” said director Liam Macik, a Pittsburgh native and Mt. Lebanon High School graduate.

The play is famous for the character of Jonathan Brewster, a role originated by horror actor Boris Karloff who was essentially spoofing himself in make-up that made him look like he was the victim of some bad plastic surgery. At the time, Karloff was most famous for playing the monster in the original film version of “Frankenstein.”

In this production, Jonathan is played by local actor Alex Blair. Suzanne Ward and Lynne Franks portray the homicidal Brewster sisters Martha and Abby, and John Feightner is brother Teddy, who believes he’s “Teddy Roosevelt.”

“Its staying power is remarkable,” said Macik. “The script is just so good it’s almost bulletproof. You can see high school kids do it, you can see it on Broadway. You can see Hollywood’s take on it and it kills every time.”

For that reason, Macik said he was cautious about making any changes or updates to the script.

“I really didn’t want to reinvent the wheel with this because it is such a beloved classic. When people come to see it, they expect certain things,” he said. “I wanted to have the period style of performance from the ’40s-style screwball comedies, but you also have to blend that with the elements of gothic horror and the universal monster film kind of horror sense that is there.”

One thing that will be different from the original stage version, Macik said, is there will be just one 15-minute intermission instead of two 10-minute intermissions.

Call the New Hazlett for ticket information at 412-320-4610 or visit newhazletttheater.org.