While walking into Massapequa High School, the last action I imagined partaking in after purchasing my ticket for the fall drama at the door was being directly led onto the stage. But that’s exactly what happened.

The MHS drama club recently put on a production of the 1939 play Arsenic and Old Lace, originally written by Joseph Kesselring. Mr. Kevin Harrington directed the drama as the talented members of MHS’ theatre community prepared for the October 17 and 18 performances.

As I made my way along the red velvet rope that snaked down the edge of the stage, the production design became much more apparent. Indeed, the audience sat on the stage, surrounding a small set. Although I was at first unsure of this setup, I grew to love the experience of sitting almost directly in the action. Others also appreciated the new seating arrangements.

“Sitting on the stage made the audience [feel] more engaged with what was going on,” junior Samantha Blasco said. “I personally liked the seating arrangements because it felt more interactive and I felt like I was somewhat part of the show.”

This intimate setting was certainly unique, as it allowed for a distinctive opportunity in terms of how we, the audience, experienced the theatrical production.

Usually, an audience member has a one-dimensional relationship with the actors onstage in that they often cannot see how the rest of the audience is reacting to the production. However, in Arsenic, with the lights of the stage revealing the audience members’ emotions, everyone’s reactions were, gloriously, exposed.

As the play began at 8:00 p.m. sharp, the story unraveled before the audience. Arsenic and Old Lace tells the story of the colorful Brewster family, who all embody insanity in one way or another.

Martha and Abby Brewster, who were played by seniors Courtney Taylor and Jessica McNamara, respectively, shine as the family’s matriarchs; the two elder ladies believe that “charitable” acts include poisoning lonely, older men with their homemade elderberry wine. Their home brewed recipe includes, of course, “…[a] teaspoon of arsenic…a half a teaspoon of strychnine, and and just a pinch of cyanide.”

“Arsenic and Old Lace was an incredible show to be a part of, and I’m so grateful to have gotten that experience as my senior show,” Courtney said. “Massapequa has done a lot of different plays before, but nothing quite like this.”

Will Halstead as Teddy Brewster, while discernibly quite insane, provides comic relief to this rather twisted drama as a young man who believes himself to be the late President Theodore Roosevelt. Indeed, several times through the three-act play, he could be seen sprinting up the set’s stairs, yelling “Charge!,” playing a bugle, and dumping the victims of “Yellow Fever” — or more accurately, his aunt’s wine — into the “locks of the Panama Canal” (otherwise known to everyone else in the Brewster Household as the cellar).

Adding to the almost comical — or shall we say alarming? — insanity of the Brewster family is Jonathan Brewster, portrayed by senior Brian Bernhard. A long-lost brother of the Brewsters, the serial killer is accompanied by his plastic surgeon, Doctor Einstein, portrayed by junior Anthony Morano. Dr. Einstein is not your run-of-the-mill Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, but rather an on-the-run, alcoholic surgeon who is constantly rearranging Jonathan’s features in order to evade the police.

Poor Mortimer, portrayed by senior Charlie McGrath, is seemingly the only sane member of the Brewster clan, and wants solely to marry his sweetheart, the minister’ daughter, Elaine Harper. Elaine, who is portrayed by junior Hannah Bentivegna, seems to be in over her head when she agrees to marry into Mortimer’s family when Mortimer finds a body left there by his aunts in the window seat.

Although the performance was not without mistakes, the performers were able to quickly recover. For example, Will Halstead as Teddy Brewster had several costume issues pertaining to his scraggly mustache: at one point during the production, Halstead had trouble keeping the mustache on. Even so, he turned this wardrobe malfunction into an improvisation opportunity when he used his falling facial hair to further exemplify Teddy’s insanity: “Damn Taft, first you mess with my campaign, and then my facial hair!”

Additionally, Charlie McGrath, as Mortimer Brewster, turned a near-failure into an outstanding example of improvisation. Struggling with keeping a lamp on a table after he slammed an old-fashioned dial phone onto the table, he finally shouted, “I’m breaking the fourth wall!” Clearly, the actors bring more to the table than just memorizing lines.

“I hope that the audience had as much fun watching it as we were performing it,” Charlie said. “It was one of my favorite times on stage and [I would like to give] a huge thank you to everyone that came.”

All of the acting was of the finest caliber. Some actors had to not only memorize their own lines, but also deliver them convincingly with heavy accents. Anthony Morano, as Dr. Einstein, did not disappoint with his convincing German accent, nor did senior Morgan Wing; her Irish accent, as Officer O’Hara, was well done with a persuasive brogue.

Overall, this dark drama, intermingled with humorous dialogue and comical relief- was delivered to MHS just in time for Halloween. Once again, the drama club delivered in producing a poignant and captivating performance.