Never let an intoxicated German plastic surgeon perform an operation that turns a patient into an apparition of Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein. Unless the patient is Jonathan Brewster in Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

The opening night of the dark comedy 75 years ago became so popular it’s now a well-known American play. This weekend and next, the Moscow Community Theatre will put on the show at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre.

“It primarily revolves around two spinster sisters,” said Mike Long, director of the show, “rescuing lonely old men from continuing with their loneliness.”

Interestingly, Martha and Abby Brewster’s method of helping these lonely men is to slip a combination of poisonous chemicals, including arsenic, into elderberry wine and giving it to men.

“It’s about two sweet little old ladies’ chartable proclivities,” said Syndie Allen, who plays Abby Brewster. “They really help little old men find peace.”

Also heavily involved in the plot are the Brewster sisters’ three nephews, who are equally estranged with the exception of the youngest, Mortimer.

The middle nephew, Teddy, believes he is Theodore Roosevelt, doing various activities like shouting “Charge!” and digging a miniature Panama Canal in the cellar.

Then there’s Jonathan Brewster, played by Jonathan Biles. Biles said the ironic thing of having the same name as his character is that it’s almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The eldest nephew has made a reputation by terrorizing the family (including their cat) and then traveling the world as a serial killer, Biles said.

“(My character) killed a guy because he said I looked like Boris Karloff,” Biles joked.

The running gag with Karloff is the effect of Jonathan Brewster’s latest plastic surgery. To keep safe from the law, he hired plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein to change his face a couple times. Except the last one leaves Brewster scarred, which makes him look like Frankenstein’s monster as portrayed by Karloff.

“When the show first opened, it made fun of a lot of the culture of this time,” Long said. “It in itself has become a part of culture.”

The play takes place in 1941, three months before the Pearl Harbor attack, Long said. This is implicated through Teddy’s semi-prophetic comment of watching out for the Japanese.

One of the key hints of the time period is the costuming, Allen said. Her style of dress has a high Victorian collar and a full length skirt, and even her glasses look like those of stereotypical librarian.

Another example is the style of the Brewster’s home, complete with a genuine, antique phone of the era. Long said many of their props are real antiques, so they need to be careful.

“Obviously the language is very 40s,” Biles said. “In the program we’re going to have a glossary.”

Much of the comedy in the show comes from the actions and the dialogue. Biles said he advises audience members to listen carefully to the words, as the author likes to drop little snippets of amusing information.

In another section of the show, Martha and Abby discuss with Mortimer their deadly acts as though talking about the weather, speaking very bluntly about killing these men and hiding them in their home.

“It’s incredibly fun,” Biles said. “The more you pay attention to the lines, the funnier it is.”

“Arsenic and Old Lace” will be performed at Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre in Moscow April 25 to 26 and May 2 to 3 at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a 2 p.m. matinee on April 27 and May 4. Tickets can be purchased at Kenworthy or BookPeople of Moscow. General admission is $15, and senior and student prices are $12.