‘Rumors’ is the story of a dinner party gone wrong

An intricately built, two-story house sits upon the Kenan Theatre stage, and it looks like the perfect setting for a dinner party — other than the missing hostess, the unconscious host with a gunshot wound and eight accident-prone guests in elegant costumes occupying the rooms.

This is the setting for the comedy “Rumors,” a play written by Tony Award-winning playwright Neil Simon. Produced by the Kenan Theatre Company and LAB! Theatre, in collaboration for the first time, the show will premiere tonight.

“It’s a farce, a kind of heightened reality, a comedy of epic proportions,” said junior Kayla Gibson, who plays the role of Cassie Cooper, one of the eight guests.

The story begins with a crisis — a couple arrives at the house of Charley and Myra Brock. But instead of being welcomed by the hosts, they find Myra missing and Charley shot in the earlobe. They decide to conceal the truth from subsequent guests to protect everyone’s reputations, but as more lies and rumors pile up, comedy ensues.

“I chose this play because it’s incredibly funny and very easy for anyone to sit down to watch and enjoy,” senior and director Melanie Rio said. “You don’t need to be a theater person or scholar of any kind.”

Freshman Griffin Gast plays the role of Glenn Cooper, the husband to Gibson’s Cassie. Cassie and Glenn are feuding as Cassie believes Glenn to be unfaithful.

Gast said the show, which he described as “wacky,” is a satire of the absurdly rich.

“There really isn’t a better word to describe how weird this show can get,” Gast said. “That’s really all you can think about is how weird this party gets, and it’s a nice escape from everything else.”

Rio said she came across the play by accident. She soon proposed the idea to LAB! Theatre and Kenan Theatre Company.

“I have seen this show a hundred times, and I still laugh at it when they’re doing their thing,” Rio said.

“At the same time it also says quite profound things about people and how we operate or interact with one another — we love secrets and stories and we always want to know what’s going on even though it’s none of our business.”

Ali Evarts, senior and producer for Kenan Theatre Company, said the play also couldn’t have been done without the help of both companies.

“LAB! Theatre gets funded by Student Congress and so they could provide the monetary resources, but they don’t have access to a shop or a traditional performance space, and they have a very limited company staff,” Evarts said.

Chad Rodgers, a third year graduate student in technical production with the Department of Dramatic Art, made the set with the help of two other undergraduate students over the past three months.

They assembled six doors, built and painted walls and arranged furniture for the elaborate set that fills up the stage.

“Lots of times in the Kenan Theatre there are a lot of small sets,” he said. “This is the largest set that’s been in this space that I have seen for at least four years.”

Gast said the audience should come without preconceived notions of the play.

“Just go to the Kenan Theatre, sit and watch as this completely absurd story unfolds in front of you and be prepared to laugh.”

arts@dailytarheel.com