Forum's room 111 will taste like poison when No Refund Theatre performs the comedy, Arsenic and Old Lace, this weekend.

Written by Joseph Kesselring in 1939, the play was adapted into a movie in 1944 starring Cary Grant. The play tells the story of the Brewster family, who is far from ordinary.

"The Brewster family consists of two eccentric old aunts who have the disturbing hobby of killing people; a psychotic oldest brother; a youngest brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt; and Mortimer, who is the only sane member attempting to navigate his way through this family," said Jillian Meek (junior-theatre and English), co-director of the show.

Micah Margolis (senior-psychology and pre-medicine), who plays Mortimer Brewster, said he feels great about the role because he has gotten the chance to act extreme.

"This role gives me the opportunity to take a character and go overboard and have as much fun as I want. There are nine million ways to be crazy, and it hasn't been really hard. The people I work with make it easy to become crazy," Margolis said.

On the other hand, Molly Kline (sophomore-secondary education) said she found it pretty difficult to play her role of Abby Brewster, one of the crazy old aunts.

"I've never played an old woman before, nonetheless a murderous old woman. I typically play characters my own age or mature adults," she said. "So it's been fun to play outside of my range. I've also grown from this role because I see I am able to play a role unlike any other I've had before."

Sarah Nathan (junior-Spanish and journalism), co-director of the show, said the reason she wanted to direct the show is because she performed it in high school.

"It's just a really fun play. I played Abby's understudy in high school and that's partly why I wanted to do the play again," Nathan said. "I think it's perfect for NRT because it's clever and funny. And whether or not you pick up on the jokes, you'll still find it appealing."

Both Meek and Nathan agree they have a fantastic cast that has been fun, talented and hard working.

"If we've had a bad day, coming to rehearsals has made us feel significantly better. Usually, rehearsals make our day more stressful, so it's nice," Meek said. "I hope the audience can have fun, too."

Dustin Yenser (senior-secondary education), who plays the creepy oldest brother Jonathan, said he likes playing this part because it has forced him out of his comfort zone.

"Many of my parts in the past have been subordinate characters. Jonathan can handle himself, and it's a fun change," Yenser said.

Yenser added that hyperbole is part of his performance.

"I've learned to be more aggressive and explosive because my other brothers are much louder. I've had to exaggerate my actions to be credible to them," he said.

Margolis said a new production is always a learning experience because it brings you to work with new people every time.

"Every director brings a different viewpoint and critique. This forces you to expand your range and try new things," Margolis said.

Margolis added that the subject matter makes a challenge for a balance between having fun and maintaining stage presence.

"I've had to play a lot with physical comedy in this show. The challenge is having to maintain a serious demeanor while being funny," he said.

For Kline, this is her first time with NRT. She said it has helped her to grow as an actress.

"It's been a great experience. I've learned to work with a lot of new people that I've never worked with before. That can always be a challenge," Kline said.

For both Meek and Nathan, it is their first time directing. They said it was

a good decision to co-direct because they wouldn't have been able to do it alone.

They said students should come out to see the show because it is hilarious and it is a lot like Clue, the play based on the board game. Meek described it as "not theater for just people who go to the theater."

"It will be a good time for people who don't see theater and may think theater is 'out there.' It's a very physical

show, and you'll leave the theater laughing with tears in your eyes," Nathan said.

Nathan added that the rapport

with the cast makes the show entertaining.

"There's just a really great group of characters on stage together, and it's accessible by everyone," she said.