Misfits return for 22nd show

• MIsfit mayhem

Members of The Misfits theater group are shown in a scene from their latest production, “Tea and Arsenic,” which will be staged next week at St. Joseph Hall in St. Kilian.

Talk about it

ST. KILIAN — The hottest ticket in town next week — OK, the only ticket in town for the entire year — in the tiny community of St. Kilian will be the 22nd production of The Misfits.

The long-lived area theater group presents “Tea and Arsenic” for a three-night dinner-theater run Thursday, Friday and Saturday at St. Joseph Hall in St. Kilian. The candlelight supper, featuring a pork chop entrée, will be served at 6:30 p.m., and The Misfits take to the stage at 7:30 p.m.

“Tea and Arsenic” is a take-off on the classic black comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace,” which was made into a 1944 film starring Cary Grant. The St. Kilian version, however, features stars from the St. Kilian, Lismore and Wilmont communities and surrounding area.

“It’s a murder mystery,” described Audrey Brake, who oversees The Misfits’ productions from behind the scenes. “It’s about two old ladies who run a boarding house.”

The play synopsis provided by the publishing company describes “Tea and Arsenic” thusly: Maggie imagines a quiet spring break at her aunt’s bed and breakfast while doing a bit of research into her family history. She’s in for a rude surprise, however, when just after she arrives, a man claiming to be a tax collector is poisoned. nfortunately there is no shortage of suspects — Barney Cook and his wife Babs look like they just breezed in from a show in Las Vegas; Isadora McCullvey dances through life, literally; and Jerry Parks claims he’s a student. But each seems to be hiding something. … Maggie and her best friend June realize they’d better figure out who wanted the tax collector dead — before someone else takes a sip of tea laced generously with arsenic.

While such a mystery may seem ominous on paper, it’s all in good fun on the stage, according to Brake, and the cast members have a lot of fun ad-libbing their parts and using facial expressions to enhance the dialogue.

“It’s the same actors, year after year, and they all feel comfortable working together,” she said.

Rehearsals — which are scheduled several times a week — began at the end of January. A few cast members have come and gone over the years, but most of The Misfits are dedicated to this one-time-a-year thespian venture.

“Every year we say it’s going to be the last one, then the next one rolls around, and we say, ‘What the heck, let’s do it again,’” Brake related. “We’ve got all the costumes, so why not?”

Originally, The Misfits formed as a means to raise money for the Catholic schools in St. Kilian and later St. Anthony school in Lismore. When the schools closed their doors, other worthwhile charities became the beneficiaries. The cast and crew members direct their portion of the proceeds to the charity of their choice.

“We try to keep it local,” said Brake about the designated charities.

At this time of year, the annual play is a welcome diversion for both the cast and audience.

“We’re coming out of winter, and we all want some laughs,” Brake said. “We need to laugh.”

All seating is reserved. For ticket information, contact Brake, (507) 472-8267.

Tags: news, saint, misfits, entertainment