Limestone College Theatre will usher in a new era with this week's performance of Joseph Kesseling’s classic, Arsenic and Old Lace.

Limestone College theatre students Sarah Kier and Matthew Ferguson rehearse a scene from Arsenic and Old Lace. The play will run Nov. 5-7 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. and is the first production in the college's new theatre at 130 Leadmine St. The madcap comedy involving a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator, an escaped mental patient and two sweet elderly sisters with a penchant for poisoning lonely old men seeking lodging in their home, christens the college’s new theatre located inside the Limestone Center on Leadmine Street.

The show will run Nov. 5-7 with a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. A matinee performance will be on Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.

“Arsenic and Old Lace is a magnificent selection to open our new theatre," said Dr. Tim Baxter-Ferguson, director of Limestone's theatre program. "With 150 seats, we have been intentional about ensuring the intimacy of the theatre setting. We have also invested in new state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems that will help to make this production and others a most enjoyable experience for our audience."

Renovations are under way to finish a multi-purpose classroom, theatre rehearsal space, costume storage area and offices for theatre faculty members. The project is expected to be completed in January.

Arsenic and Old Lace was last performed by the college's theatre program back in 1981.

The story centers around two elderly sisters who are renown for their charity works in their Brooklyn neighborhood. The two women are secretly poisoning old men with the help of their nephew who believes he is Roosevelt.

The plot thickens when a second nephew, a theatre critic, discovers the murders and a third nephew appears following his escape from a mental patient.

"The play is very funny and has stood the test of time very well," Baxter-Ferguson said.

Tickets for Arsenic and Old Lace are $8 for adults; $4 for seniors (65 and over) and children (12 and under). To purchase tickets, log on to showtix4u or call 1-866-967-8167.