Classic comedy with the North Carolina History Theater
Treat yourself to some classic fun with this outstanding comedy in the new year. The North Carolina History Theater will hold auditions for Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic & Old Lace” on January 24 – 26 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the conference room at the New Bern Craven County Library at 400 Johnson St.
Director Sue Baldwin is gathering a team for this 1939 hit. She is seeking 11 men aged 30 to 70-ish, 2 women aged 50-70-ish, and one woman aged 25 – 40. Actors will be asked to read from the script. “We hope to see lots of folks who want to help with this screwball dark comedy. We expect this to be a really fun project”, explained Baldwin.
Many remember the 1944 Frank Capra film starring Cary Grant. We tend to think of dysfunctional families as a recent label. This hilarious group shows they’ve been around a long time. In “Arsenic & Old Lace” drama critic Mortimer Brewster’s engagement announcement is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunts’ window seat. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves, only to learn that the two old women aren’t just aware of the dead man in their parlor, they killed him! Between his aunts’ penchant for poisoning wine, a brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and another brother using plastic surgery to hide from the police—not to mention Mortimer’s own hesitancy about marriage—it’ll be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his wedding. Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic black comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: family.
Sue Baldwin is well known and respected in the New Bern theater community. Audiences have enjoyed her humor and talent in virtually all the theaters in the area. She also served as a long-time director and actor for the New Bern Historical Society’s Ghostwalk. According to North Carolina History Theater President, Bill Hand, “we are not only fortunate, but we are also blessed to have Sue Baldwin as both a show director and a member of the Board of Directors.”
For details, email or call Director Sue Baldwin at 252-224-0475.
Submitted by Kathy Morrison