A little lie never hurt anyone. Unless, of course, it is trying to conceal a possible attempted suicide of the deputy mayor of New York from his closest friends and the police.

The St. Edward's Hall Players will open Neil Simon's critically acclaimed farce, "Rumors," tomorrow night. The show is one of frantic energy and split-second timing, a challenge to which the St. Edward's Hall Players rise with gusto.

"Rumors" takes place on the evening of the deputy mayor of New York's anniversary with his wife Myra. When the first of his guests, Ken and Kris Gorman (played by senior Kevin Dwight, and sophomore Trish Gilbert) arrive they find the deputy mayor, Charley, shot through the earlobe and barely conscious and Myra suspiciously absent from the house.

As Charley's lawyer, Ken decides it is best to conceal the incident from the other guests. Unfortunately, the next couple, Lenny and Claire Ganz (played by sophomores Ryan Greene and Cheryl Turski) stumble upon the Gormans' plan and are drawn into the deception.

The four construct a cockamamie story, trying to stall Charley's remaining guests, the high-society psychiatrist Ernie Cusack (played by sophomore Mike Romano) and his cooking show star wife Cookie (played by sophomore Katie Mahoney) as well as state senate candidate Glen Cooper (played by sophomore Joe Powers) and his suspicious quartz crystal-rubbing wife Cassie (played by junior Tara Murphy).

Lie stacks upon lie until the police arrive and the group is forced to do some quick thinking to save their friend and themselves.

"Rumors" is a show that relies almost entirely on the chemistry between the cast. The production's director, senior Matt Lee, recognized the importance of cast dynamic and instituted a program to better acquaint his actors.

Lee, the first non-St. Edward's Hall resident to direct a St. Edward's Hall Player's show, instituted a regime that he calls "cast dating," a program in which during each week of the seven-week rehearsal process each cast member went on a date with another cast or crew member. Although most of the dates were casual outings like coffee at Acousticafé, watching a video or the infamous dining hall date, the cast felt that the program made them more comfortable around each other.

"[Lee] helps you out where you need it, but he also give you a lot of freedom to do the role as you see fit. But he's also very clear when he wants it done a certain way. Off stage, especially, he's really gotten the cast together," Powers said.

Powers auditioned for "Rumors" after being in a mock barbershop quartet at a Program of Liberal Studies talent show in October. Now bitten by the acting bug, Powers plans to be in a theatre show each semester until he graduates.

"[The rehearsal process has] been really fun, I got to meet a new group of people I wouldn't have known otherwise," Powers said.

The cast definitely has a strong report with each other; a quality that they attribute to Lee for bringing out.

"[Lee's directing] is the perfect combination of relaxed, easygoing-ness and focused directing," Greene said.

Beside the cast's chemistry, Lee feels that "Rumors" has the added advantage of having a great script. Lee, a self-described Neil Simon junkie, is no stranger to the playwright's wit and wisdom; Lee directed "Lost in Yonkers" last year for the Student Players.

"[Simon] is as deep and brilliant as Arthur Miller and as witty as they come; he might even be the greatest comic playwright of [the 20th] century. I think Notre Dame needs to see more of his productions because they're easy to understand and yet they all have a profound meaning," Lee said.

Lee thinks that Simon does more than just entertain the audience in "Rumors," he also describes the complex nature of relationships and especially marriage.

"I think the play is about the different stages in a relationship between a man and a woman. I think you can't necessarily see each couple [in the show] as having a complete relationship. I think you have to see each couple as being one of many facets that is inherent in any relationship … I think when you're in a relationship with somebody you go through all the stages that are presented in these couples," Lee said.

Unfortunately, the St. Edward's Hall Players were not allotted very much money to produce their show. The group had to borrow many costume pieces and props as well as scrounge for a set. Senior Chris Sinnott, who designed and helped build the set, could only install one door in a farce that calls for six.

The group improvised solutions for anything that was lacking in the set, but the fact that the audience can see characters before their entrances is particularly distracting. It is a shame to see such a talented group with such a good show have such limited resources with which to work.

But what the cast of "Rumors" lacks in material assets they make up for in talent. Although many of the cast members are relatively new or inexperienced actors, all have developed characters that shine through; from the manic motions of Greene as Lenny to the charmingly drunk Officer Pudney (played by sophomore Megan Olive) and the stern reserve of Officer Welch (played by senior Ryan Kruegar).

Although the acting is effective all around, two actors standout in their roles: Gilbert has a lightening quick sense of the show's timing and expertly places her off-handed one-liners with precision in the frantic show.

Similarly, Turski's rapier wit and comical facial expressions make her character one of the most well developed and interesting. Turski's snide and sarcastic comments are wickedly funny and a pleasure to watch.

Both Gilbert and Turski play to their audience well and seem to be the most flexible and adaptive to their fellow actors on stage.

The cast of "Rumors" knows the show inside and out, as is proven by their ability to rapidly push through their fast and precisely timed lines. But even the well-rehearsed timing and energy drops the ball on some of the humor Simon wrote into the show.

Simon relies heavily on a stereotype of New Yorkers, especially Jewish New Yorkers, in the script of "Rumors;" it is unfortunate that this production does not try to produce the genre of comedy in which the author intended it. A few times in the show, jokes are lost or muddled because this type of comedy is not employed, especially in some of Simon's more creative swearwords.

Despite this short-coming, "Rumors" ends up being a strong show that will undoubtedly please audiences.

"The student body desperately needs to laugh … this is a nice contemporary, easy to understand piece that will just capture you and draw you in. You'll leave laughing," said Lee.

He couldn't be more right.

"Rumors" opens tomorrow night and plays through Saturday. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in Washington Hall. Admission is $5. Tickets are on sale at the LaFortune Student Center Box Office and at the door. Call or visit the Box Office at (219) 631-8128 to reserve seats.

Contact C. Spencer Beggs at beggs.3@nd.edu.

• Timing is everything