Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace is a murder comedy written in 1939 by American playwright Joseph Kesselring (1902-1967) [1].

The original text

The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on January 10, 1941. It has become best known through the film adaptations starring Cary Grant.

Translations and adaptations

Translated into Afrikaans as Gif en Oujongnooiens ("Poison and spinsters") by W.H. Grobler.

Performance history in South Africa

1942: Produced by Costa Couvara for the Cape Town Repertory Theatre Society, opening in the Little Theatre on 24 August 1942 starring, among ohters, Geraldine Jordi.

September 6 - 11, 1943: Produced by the SAWAS of Command 14 Entertainment Unit (Benoni) at the Standard Theatre, Johannesburg. Directed by René Ahrenson of Cape Town and starring Captain George Bollaire of the SAAF. He came to South Africa from England where he starred in Squadron X. Other cast members included Taubie Kushlick, Reginald Rawlings, Cecilia Sonnenberg, Fred Loehnen and Joel Herold. Proceeds from the concert went to the SAWAS Red Cross Prisoners of War Fund and Command 14 Entertainment Welfare Work.

May 22 - 24, 1947: Joseph Kesselring's three-act comedy was performed in the Port Elizabeth City Hall. Produced by Raymond Davidson for PEMADS. Mrs Gibson Lochhead took the role of "Abby" and Mrs Zilla Baird played "Martha". The business managers and prop-builders were Harold Davidson and Dave Berg.

1964: Staged in June 1964 by the Libertas Theatre Club in The Cellar in Dorp Street, Stellenbosch, directed by Esther van Ryswyk, with Jane Turner (Abby), Marie van Heerden (Martha), John Kitson (Dr Harper), Rita Sierts-Ehlers, Fred Roux, Piet Retief, Louis Eksteen, Pieter de Swardt and P. van Aarde.