Veteran actor Rachel Tynes is having a blast with her character for Santa Fe Preparatory School's upcoming production of Rumors.

Her character, Cookie Cusak, is a professional chef who is married to a psychologist. The character was supposed to be an older woman who suffered from back spasms, but Tynes thought it would be more comical if Cookie were a younger girl. She experimented with Cookie a lot, she said.

"She's challenged me because I've never acted a role like this," Tynes said with excitement. "I've either been really serious or really like myself. I tried different things. First I used a Southern accent, then that didn't work."

She made Cookie a bit ditzy but kept the back spasms, which makes it all the more funny.

"I actually hurt my back because I'm a dancer," Tynes said. "It's just funny that now I know how she feels."

Director Brad Fairbanks said he thought this play would be perfect for the Santa Fe Prep community.

"I just thought it was a good time for our community to have a good laugh," Fairbanks said between directing scenes and yelling for tech person Dierich Ginocchio to turn the gunshot sound effects down. It is the story of a group of couples who attend a 10th anniversary party at the deputy New York City mayor's home. When the guests arrive, they find the host has shot himself in the head, but is suffering from only a flesh wound. Nobody knows where the deputy mayor's wife is and rumors are circulating about how the man was shot, making it impossible for the guests to keep the story straight.

Will Brown, who plays Ken Gorman, provides the laughs in the scene when he premieres his deafness, caused by an unfortunate explosion of a shaving cream can. He goes from being a serious, uptight lawyer to delivering hilarious lines while trying to repeat what the character thinks the others are saying.

Humor like this isn't the only kind in the play. Bronwyn Barnwell plays the sarcastic Glaire Ganz, who is married to Lenny Ganz, played by Rob Weiner.

"She and her husband don't get along very well and that just adds to her sarcasm," Barnwell said. She said she drew a lot of her inspiration for her character from herself. "I think I have a somewhat sarcastic side to me so I really indulged in that."

As Lenny Ganz, Weiner is running around being rude to everybody.

"He has a lot of tension with his wife," Weiner said, describing his character as a jerk. "We get so many different plotlines going because people are always coming back and forth ... that's where a lot of the humor comes from."

Fortunately, the troupe from Santa Fe Prep has no problem making the play as funny as playwright Neil Simon intended it to be.

"All the humor is very dry and clean," Brown said. He said the play has been challenging for him and his castmates because it's an "acting play."

Grace Penzel is having a ball playing the rich Chris Gorman.

"She's a very stressed-out person and she's often running around worrying about the situation," Penzel said. Her character is always looking for cigarettes and "gets drunk, which makes it pretty fun to play."

"This show is really great," Tynes said. "Anybody can go see this an enjoy it. There's sarcasm, there's me and my goofiness, Will and his deafness — it's just so outrageous. It's going to be a good play."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Santa Fe Preparatory School presents Rumors A Farce by Neil Simon

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m. Nov. 22

Where: Driscoll Auditorium at Santa Fe Preparatory School

Cost: $7 for adults; $5 for students and seniors

For more information call Brad Fairbanks at 982-1829


CAST LIST

Chris Gorman: Grace Penzel

Ken Gorman: Will Brown

Claire Ganz: Bronwyn Barnwell

Lenny Ganz: Rob Weiner

Ernie Cusack: Matthew Sullivan

Cookie Cusack: Rachel Tynes

Glenn Cooper: Jackson Alexander

Cassie Cooper: Hannah Wederquist-Keller

Officer Welch: Ben Loftin

Officer Pudney: Hannah Davis