Students may be talking about this year’s fall production, but it is time to put the “Rumors” to rest.
Called “Rumors”, this year’s fall production is a farce, which is a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character, according to http://dictionary.com.
“[LZHS] hasn’t done a comedy in a long time, at least four or five years,” David Harmon, director and drama teacher, said. “It was written by Neil Simon, and it is one of his most well-known plays.”
Based in New York suburbia, “Rumors” takes place in the affluent town home of the Deputy Mayor of New York.
“The characters are all invited to the Deputy Mayor’s house for his wedding anniversary,” Harmon said. “When the first couple arrives, though, they notice that there are no servants, the hostess is missing, and the Deputy Mayor shot his ear off and is lying on the ground unconscious. Since this is such a big political scandal, this first couple is trying to cover up the scandal. When each new couple arrives, the cover up gets much further from the truth that no one can remember what really happened.”
Although this synopsis may seem like a serious one, the plot is far from it. The comedy is “mature-themed,” Harmon said. “It is not geared towards younger audiences. We are hoping to see people age twelve or older.”
With only ten people in the entire cast, actors have been able to completely develop their characters’ comedic identity, Harmon says.
“The smaller cast provides the opportunity for each [actor] to work in-depth on their character,” Harmon said. “It is nice to give people the opportunity to work on their comedic acting.”
In addition to benefiting the students in the production, Harmon and the rest of the cast hope “Rumors” will be a positive experience for their audience.
“With all the stress over the economy and in the world in general, it is nice to be able to escape that anxiety and be entertained for an hour and a half,” Harmon said. “The audience should leave feeling like their stomachs hurt because they have been laughing so hard.”
For the first time, audience members can get tickets online at http://www.lz95.net/PAC. People can reserve tickets online, but will then pay for them at the door.
Tickets are on sale now; the cost is eight dollars for students and ten dollars for adults. Dates of the show are November 10, 11, and 12 at 7:30PM in the Performing Arts Center.