The Coronado Playhouse is marking its 80th anniversary with a production that reaches back to the theater's wartime roots.

"Arsenic and Old Lace," Joseph Kesselring's dark comedy about two sweet aunts who poison lonely old men, runs weekends through Sept. 6 at 1835 Strand Way. Director Kira Blaskovich's cast has drawn praise from Coronado Times reviewer Kimberly Ussery, who wrote Aug. 18 that "the entire cast does a superb job with this old-fashioned comedy."

The show fits the milestone.

Kesselring wrote the play to make Americans laugh during wartime, and the Playhouse itself was born from that same era. A small group of Coronado residents began performing at Coronado High School in 1941 but paused after Pearl Harbor. They officially organized as the Coronado Players in February 1946, and the theater is now San Diego's longest-running community theater, according to the Coronado Eagle & Journal.

Paul Bonner leads the ensemble as Mortimer, the theater critic who stumbles onto his aunts' murderous hobby. Ussery wrote that Bonner steals the show with his physical comedy and over-the-top reactions. Amy Dell and Kat Fitzpatrick play the homicidal aunties, Mark Holley portrays their brother who believes he's Teddy Roosevelt digging the Panama Canal, and Steven Jensen takes on the villain Jonathan with what the reviewer described as a convincing Boris Karloff imitation. Joseph Vitti rounds out the core cast as Dr. Einstein.

The 1944 Frank Capra film version starred Cary Grant, and the Coronado Playhouse production retains the feel of a screwball comedy from the war years, according to Ussery's review.

The theater has also launched an "80 for 80" fundraising campaign, asking supporters to donate $80 each to help the Playhouse stay afloat during its anniversary year. The 2026 season includes four full-length shows plus a Holiday Sing-A-Long.

Remaining performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., with the final weekend running Saturday, Sept. 5 through Sunday, Sept. 6. Tickets are available at coronadoplayhouse.org or by calling 619-435-4856.

Coming up at Coronado Playhouse: The theater's 2026 season continues with three more productions and a Holiday Sing-A-Long later this year. Details on upcoming shows are at coronadoplayhouse.org/2026-season.