Laurel Little Theatre to Continue Season with ARSENIC AND OLD LACE

LLT continues its "Fifty-Fifth & Fabulous" Season with the classic comedy chiller ARSENIC AND OLD LACE directed by Lacy Cockrell.

Performances are at 7:30PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 10-11-12 and on December 13, a Sunday matinee at 2PM.

The LLT reservation line is now open and answers 24 hours a day at 601.428.0140. You can see more info on the entire LLT season at the the theatre's website LaurelLittleTheatre.com.

ARSENIC is the 1941 Broadway hit that ran in NYC for over three years and opened with one reviewer saying "it was so funny that none of us will ever forget it."

Two dotty old-maid spinster aunts have decided that they'll just go on and put the lonely old single men (that come by looking for a room to rent) out of their misery.

They've already murdered a dozen of them and buried the bodies in the basement. And how did they knock them off so easily? Easy - just get them to drink some of their home-brewed elderberry wine that they've laced with arsenic, strychnine and "just a pinch of cyanide." A lethal concoction to be sure - but don't worry - LLT promises they won't be serving it at intermission!

The 1944 film version starring Cary Grant and Peter Lorre was a huge hit and is still one of the most successful comedies of that era. The New York Times called it "great macabre fun." It's a classic CHILLER comedy that will keep your laughing as you see just what those two crazy ol' ladies get up to next!

THE LLT CAST

The cast of ARSENIC is a mix of LLT alumni and newcomers to the Arabian stage.

Playing the two crazy ol' aunts, Abby and Martha Brewster, are LLT faves Gail Chancellor and Missy Sanderson.

Chancellor sang in LLT productions of AIDA, THE WIZARD OF OZ and THE ADDAMS FAMILY, and she was Miss Hannigan in ANNIE and Aunt March in LITTLE WOMEN. She teaches English at Northeast Jones Middle School.

Sanderson has been involved with LLT since the 1970s. A long time LLT board member and actor, she was most recently seen as Marmee in LITTLE WOMEN, but everyone in the Pine Belt mostly remembers her sterling performances as Patsy in the many productions of ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE at both LLT and HCLO .

Playing the ladies' nephews, Teddy, Mortimer and Jonathan Brewster, are three more LLT alumni - Shane Cockrell, Will Hodges and Mark Sellers.

Cockrell teaches at West Jones High School where he leads the choir and show choirs. He's been music director for LLT productions of ANNIE, AIDA, SEUSSICAL and LITTLE WOMEN, and was in the casts of THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1776 and JOSEPH.

Hodges is a grad of South Jones High School and is now attending JCJC. He was in LLT productions of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, AIDA and JEKYLL & HYDE.

Sellers is repeating the role of Teddy that he once played in a production at Northeast Jones High School, where he's been a science teacher for the last 23 years. He made his LLT debut in 1776.

The Peter Lorre role of Dr. Einstein is cast with Herb Murray. He's been in LLT productions of 9 TO 5-THE MUSICAL, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, DRACULA and JEKYLL & HYDE. Herb is a new member of the LLT board of directors.

The supporting cast is rounded out with Daniel Easley, Becca Green, Laken Jones, Carter Poister, Jacob Rogers, Anthony Shoemake and Coty Shoemake.

THE CREW
Director Lacy Cockrell has been doing shows at LLT since 2005, acting, singing, painting sets and serving on the board of directors. She played Maggie in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, Mary in THE WOMEN, and directed HAIRSPRAY, THE WIZARD OF OZ, ANNIE and LITTLE WOMEN. Cockrell is an art teacher at West Jones High School, where she's also directed JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and GREASE.

Stage Manager Laura Cooley has worked on every production of LLT's last three seasons, including the role of Laura in THE GLASS MENAGERIE. She's a new LLT board member as the head of house and teaches at Wayne County High School.

Assistant Stage Manager Lucy Taylor is a student at JCJC, where she is active in the concert choir, the student government association and the Radionian newspaper. At West Jones High School she was in STEEL MAGNOLIAS and in the show choirs Revolution and Imagination.

Tech crew running sound and lights and doing sets, props, costumes and tickets are Edward Boone, Cherie Boone, Sandra Boutwell, Katelyn Bryant, Steve Guy, Adam Hodges, Brent Holifield, Wess Hughes, George Jackson, B.B. Mangum-Dear, Susan Mangum, Paula Pierce, Lauralee Watts, Maddie Watts, Rick Youngblood, Alison Vanderslice, Jason Vanderslice and R.K. Wilson.

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