Herndon High School Brings Classic Comedy Arsenic and Old Lace to the Stage This Weekend

The drama students at Herndon High School have spent the past several months preparing a full-scale production of the classic American farce Arsenic and Old Lace, and their hard work will finally be showcased this weekend. Rehearsals have been running four days a week – and often on Saturdays – since mid-September, as the cast and crew worked to bring this energetic, fast-paced comedy to life in the school’s auditorium.

The production is directed by Scott Pafumi, Herndon High School’s theatre arts director, who said his students were looking for a comedy paired with a sizable, visually interesting set. Arsenic and Old Lace fit that request perfectly. Calling it the pinnacle of 1940s American situational comedy, Pafumi mentioned that he himself performed in the show as a high-school student in the 1980s and directed it again in 2005 at another school. His familiarity with the material helped shape this year’s fall production.

Last weekend, students dedicated long hours to completing the elaborate set. Since the story takes place entirely inside the old home of two elderly sisters, the living room backdrop is essential. It includes architectural elements required for multiple sight gags and plot developments, such as a cellar door, a stairwell, and a large window seat. The team built an open-concept, two-story space, giving the stage a polished and expansive look.

Pafumi also found a creative way to include about a dozen additional students by adding a new opening and closing montage. These moments show the events leading up to the story and provide a final coda once the main plot concludes. It allows younger performers, especially freshmen and sophomores, to gain stage experience without the pressure of speaking roles.

For those unfamiliar with the play, the title reveals its darkly humorous premise. On the night he proposes to his girlfriend, Mortimer Brewster discovers that his sweet, innocent-seeming aunts have been quietly poisoning lonely renters and burying them in the basement. Despite the grim description, the show is pure farce, built on big character personalities, physical humor, and exaggerated misunderstandings. Pafumi explains that this comedy of opposites is timeless, noting that audiences have enjoyed this style of humor since ancient Greek theater.

Some jokes remain rooted in the original time period. For example, a recurring gag suggests that one character resembles Boris Karloff, the actor famous for portraying Frankenstein’s monster. While modern viewers may not immediately catch the reference, it was widely understood when the play debuted on Broadway in 1941. Still, the comedy holds up thanks to its strong characters and fast-moving plot.

This production is part of Pafumi’s broader plan to guide students through the classics of American theatre. In the spring, the program will present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, while the winter play, Nuclear Family, will offer something completely different — a new original work by a local playwright exploring time travel and unintended consequences.

Performances of Arsenic and Old Lace will take place in the Herndon High School auditorium this Friday and Saturday evening, as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Tickets cost $10 for students and $15 for adults, and more information is available on the school’s official site through the Herndon High School Theatre page at this link.

According to Pafumi, audiences can always expect a professional-quality experience when attending a Herndon High School Theatre production. As students grow within the program, they take on more responsibility behind the scenes, eventually assisting with stage management, design, and directing by the time they reach their senior year.