Rehearsals for Arsenic and Old Lace, this year’s spring drama, began the week of March 16. The play, written by Joseph Kesselring, is a classic dark comedy that debuted in 1941. It follows two eccentric, elderly sisters named Abby and Martha Brewster being played by juniors Sabine Guerra and Sam Beck. They perform what they consider to be acts of Christian charity: poisoning lonely old men. When their nephew Mortimer Brewster, played by sophomore Morris Israel, discovers this, he must find a way to keep his loved ones out of jail, but also keep the rest of the community safe.

When asked what makes this year’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace unique from past plays at Greylock, stage manager Stella Gold talked about the set. Last year’s production, Rewind, had many different sets, including a classroom, a dance hall, and two different houses. This year, the show takes place all in one set, which is a Victorian-style Brooklyn brownstone.

Gold also pointed out it will be a fun challenge for them to tackle as a small crew, creating the illusion of a multiple story house while repurposing old set pieces. The crew plans to repurpose the unit set from Into the Woods into a staircase for the brownstone.

When asked about the show as a whole, she said, “I think we have a really good cast. The show is a little dark, but it is very funny.”

Other named roles include the minister’s daughter Mortimer wants to marry, played by eighth grader Brynn Daverman; Mortimer’s insane brothers, played by senior Alex Briggs and sophomore Henry Wall; and an evil plastic surgeon played by freshman Sam Barry.

This year, Annaly Babb-Guerra, who is one of the presidents of Friends of the Arts, as well as cast member Sabine Guerra’s mom, is supervising the play. As an active member of the community, she stepped up to help out when other people or teachers were unavailable or too busy.

Mount Greylock senior Frances Evans will be directing the play for the third year in a row, along with help from assistant director senior Indira Semon Pike, and production assistants Sabine Guerra and Morris Israel. Her past experience directing the spring drama includes plays Lights Off and Rewind, and she is “very excited to work on it.”

Arsenic and Old Lace will run on Friday, May 8th, and Saturday, May 9th.