The Black Box Theatre at McHenry County College (MCC) is proud to announce their Fall 2025 production of Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring, directed by Jay Geller.
Set in Brooklyn, New York in the 1940s, Arsenic and Old Lace follows drama critic Mortimer Brewster as he discovers his sweet, elderly aunts have a deadly secret: they poison lonely old men with elderberry wine laced with arsenic. As Mortimer tries to deal with his eccentric family—including a brother who thinks he’s Theodore Roosevelt and another who’s a homicidal maniac—chaos and hilarity ensue.
Arsenic and Old Lace, the classic dark comedy written by Joseph Kesselring, is directed by Jay Geller (Kildeer). Set design is by Dan Frank (Crystal Lake), lighting design by Deb Homen-Madden (Arlington Heights), costume design by Carol Foreman (Cary), stage manager Nicole Weber (Woodstock), assistant director Chelsea Boesiger (Crystal Lake), technical director Chris Adkins (Woodstock), and scenic painter Holly Adkins (Woodstock).
The cast includes Holly O’Hair, Travis Greuel, Max Saunders, Kathie Comella, Robert Boyd (Woodstock); Robert Kaempfe, Greg Waldyn and Kae Schaefer (Crystal Lake); McKinley Shine and Mark Drinnenberg (Marengo); Aidan McTague (Huntley); Nathan Forrester (Rockford); and Addyson Oates (Lake in the Hills).
Arsenic and Old Lace opens on October 31 and runs November 1, 7, 8, 15, and 16 at 7 p.m. and November 2, 9, and 16 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $17.85 for students, MCC employees, seniors, alumni, and veterans, and $23.18 for the general public. Purchase tickets here.
The Black Box Theatre at McHenry County College is located at 8900 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, IL 60012. Please Park in Lot C and enter Building E. The theatre will be directly to the right.
For more information, please contact Jay Geller at jgeller@mchenry.edu.