Delano Herald Journal

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Buffalo Community Theatre features local faces in ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’



Rehearsal is in full swing for the quirky play, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” which is a dark comedy that will be performed by the Buffalo Community Theatre (BCT) in the Buffalo Discovery School Auditorium.

The play will run Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24, and 25 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.; and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Oct. 30, 31, and Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m.

Familiar face, Linda Metcalf of Cokato has a leading role in this play written by John Vogal. Her character, Abby Brewster, sister of Martha Brewster, has been stirring up trouble for as long as anyone can remember.

This play will mark the 47th play Metcalf has been in, and this fall’s Dassel-Cokato High School musical will be the 203rd show she has been called upon to make costumes for.

The play “Arsenic and Old Lace” is set in 1941, in a small house next to a cemetery in Brooklyn, where the Brewster sisters live, hiding a dark secret.

Dean Miller of Howard Lake plays the insane nephew of the Brewster sisters, who returns home after many years of running from the authorities. Miller is also the president of the board of directors for the BCT and enjoys his involvement.

“A lot of people don’t realize that there’s a lot of community theatre [happening],” Miller said, explaining that some people live in a community their entire lives without being aware of community theatre.

Miller has been in 12 plays through the BCT, and two plays through the Maple Lake Community Theatre.

“People have been entertained by this play for 67 years,” Director Dave Worley said. Worley has worked with theatre in the area since 2002, and lives in St. Michael.

“Anyone who isn’t familiar with the play can expect to see a dark comedy, poking fun at life and death and human follies,” Worley said.

He said he is pleased by the way the actors are working to develop their characters, and enjoys watching them experiment, he added.

The BCT is celebrating Halloween with this play, which, according to Miller, has “a lot of scary twists to it.”

“The play is funny, creepy, has some physical comedy, and is perfect for Halloween,” Worley said.

Tickets can be purchased at Buffalo Books, by calling the BCT ticket line at (763) 682-9454, or at the door. An adult ticket is $12, a senior ticket is $10, and a student ticket is $8.

For information regarding future productions, visit www.buffalocommunitytheater.com.

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