Arsenic and Old Lace at Odyssey

LOS ANGELES - July 23, 2017 - PRLog -- Joseph Kesserling's laugh-out-loud comedy about two murderous old ladies, a Theodore Roosevelt impersonator, a Boris Karloff look-alike and a theater critic in love runs Aug. 26 thru Oct. 8 at the Odyssey Theatre in West L.A..

Just as Mortimer and Elaine venture to share news of their engagement with his seemingly harmless little-old-lady aunts, Mortimer discovers the sisters' proclivity for murdering lonely old men. Add his crazy brothers Teddy, who thinks he's Theodore Roosevelt, and homicidal maniac Jonathan, who looks like Boris Karrloff, and the result is a mix of laugh-out-loud hilarity and macabre mayhem.

"The irreverence in this play is just delicious," says the director, Elina de Santos. "It's one of the funniest plays I've ever read, and it plays like crazy. Don't we all just need a good laugh these days?"

Arsenic and Old Lace debuted on Broadway in 1941. New York Times theater critic Brooks Atkinson wrote that it was "so funny none of us will ever forget it." The New York Herald Tribune called it "riotously hilarious," and the New York Herald-Tribune pronounced it "side-splitting and terrific." It went on to play 1,444 performances and was made into a now-classic film directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant.

Performances of Arsenic and Old Lace take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from Aug. 26 through Oct. 8. Additional weeknight performances are scheduled on Wednesday, Sept.13; Thursday, Sept. 28; and Thursday, Oct. 5, all at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 on Wednesdays and Thursdays; $30 on Fridays; and $34 on Saturdays and Sundays. Children ages 8-12 are $10. There will be two "Tix for $10" performances on Wednesday, Sept. 13; and Thursday, Oct. 5. The third Friday of every month is wine night at the Odyssey: enjoy complimentary wine and snacks and mingle with the cast after the show.

The Odyssey Theatreis located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information, call (310) 477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com (http://www.odysseytheatre.com/).