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
Honiton lace old tombstone in the town is inscribed with information about one James Rodge who is described as a “bone lace seller” who died in 1617; it is not known whether he emigrated from Flanders or not. In the early period (approx. 1620-1800), sprigs of various designs were worked separately from the net ground by hand, then put together near the end of production. Later (approx. 1800-1840), handmade Honiton lace became obsolete in light of the invention of machine-made net, which was much cheaper to produce. Historian Emily Jackson describes the design changes fostered by the convenience of this approach: “There