Arsenic and Old Lace (play) Arsenic and Old Lace (play) Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the subsequent film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on Broadway at the Fulton Theatre on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the play moved to the Hudson Theatre. It closed there on June 17, 1944, having played 1,444 performances. Of the twelve plays written by Kesselring, "Arsenic and Old Lace" was the most successful, and, according to the opening night
Binche lace was started in the 15th century by lacemakers that moved to Binche from Ghent with Mary of Burgundy, however there is no proof for this legend. However, Binche lace was being made by the end of the 16th century. In 1585, when the river Scheldt was closed to shipping, Binche did not suffer a decline in its lacemaking as did others up the river such as Antwerp lace. Binche lace was the subject of a royal edict in 1686, which implies that the lace must have been fairly important. The heyday of Binche lace was in the 18th century, when