The atmosphere was buzzing in the playhouse just minutes before the dynamic cast of the upcoming theatre performance “Rumors” began its rehearsal. The faces of each actor lit up as they reviewed their lines and joked with one another. Sitting in on the Thursday night run-through was anything but boring, even before the show began.

With a bar set up right at the front of the stage and gossip flying out of control within the first few lines, this show is instantly relatable to college students. Four couples gather on stage to enjoy a dressy dinner party in celebration of the anniversary of their friends, the deputy mayor of New York, Charley Brock, and his wife, Myra. Instead of enjoying a nice party, they discover that Charley and Myra are mysteriously missing and spend the rest of the night trying to find out why. All carrying bits and pieces of information, these four couples transform a string of mishaps into hilarious entertainment in the production by Neil Simon.

According to Clare Ruble, ‘17, the audition process was just as hysterical as the actual show. “Carol Sutton, the director, had us each come up with a life or death lie,” Ruble said. “It was definitely an adrenaline rush.”

Coincidentally, Clare nearly shares her name with her character, Claire Ganz, in the production of “Rumors.”

“Claire Ganz is amazing,” Ruble said. “She is a fiery, sassy woman who loves gossip. She is the smartest woman on stage and she seeks knowledge the entire show, especially knowledge about other people.”

Playing the husband of Claire Ganz, Lenny, is Sam Nelson.

“Lenny is an enormous jerk, but I absolutely love him,” Nelson said. “He’s been one of my favorite characters to play because of the way he says whatever he thinks about people and isn’t afraid of offending anyone.”

The large staircase found at center stage is certainly not the only source of up and down throughout this show. The enthusiastic actors are sure to surprise you with how many things could go wrong at an anything-but-simple dinner party. The crazy atmosphere and high levels of anticipation are bound to keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire 120 minutes.

The cast has worked four hours a day and seven days a week for the past five weeks. This time is spent not only rehearsing, but also building the set, stitching the costumes, hanging the lights, editing the sound cues and gathering the props. Nelson said that the stage manager, Erin Barnett, is the glue holding the whole thing together.

The long hours and hard work show in this hysterical production opening on Wed., Feb. 17 at 8 p.m in The Playhouse. Dull moments are nonexistent in this show that is sure to have you guessing until the end.