Woodward, Keefe, & Walken to Star in Arsenic and Old Lace

Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, and Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director) announced that Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors of Westport Country Playhouse, will play Abby and Martha Brewster, respectively, in a reading of the comedy classic, "Arsenic and Old Lace" by Joseph Kesselring, on Monday, July 14, 7 p.m.  John Tillinger will direct. The play reading is part of the Playhouse's "Funny Mondays" series, showcasing both new and vintage comedies and curated by Ms. Keefe.

The cast includes Christopher Walken as Jonathan Brewster, Noble Shropshire as Dr. Einstein, Mark Shanahan as Mortimer Brewster, Jen Waldman as Elaine Harper, Doug Stender as Teddy Brewster and Tim Donoghue as Officer O'Hara.

In 1941, when theatergoers were looking for some entertainment to take their minds off of the war in Europe, Broadway gave them a hilarious new play "Arsenic and Old Lace." The play became an immediate critical and popular success, running for 1,444 performances. In 1944, Hollywood produced a film version staring Cary Grant.

"Arsenic and Old Lace," a clever combination of comedy and mayhem, focuses on two sweet, elderly sisters who are known for their many acts of charity in their Brooklyn neighborhood. However, their charity includes serving poisoned elderberry wine to lonely old men who come to their home seeking lodging. The two ladies are assisted in their crimes by their mentally challenged nephew who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt, blasting a bugle and yelling 'charge' as he bounds up the stairs. The plot thickens when a second nephew, a theater critic, discovers the dead bodies and a third nephew arrives after an escape from a mental institution.

Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse is now open year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. On its legendary stage are theatrical productions, educational programming and special events, including films, readings of short fiction and new plays, and a Family Festivities series. The rich history of the Westport Country Playhouse dates back to 1931, when New York theatre producers Lawrence Langner and his wife Armina Marshall created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s cow barn.  Now celebrating its 78th season, the Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 35 of which later transferred to Broadway. Its roster of actors reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre.  Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the performing arts for audiences and artists alike, and as a true cultural landmark for Connecticut.

"Funny Mondays" are supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

Tickets to "Funny Mondays" are $25, $20 and $15. For more information, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.org.

Photo by Kerry Long.