Pilgrim High School’s drama program is eager to present Ken Ludwig’s comedy “Moon Over Buffalo” this week.

The production follows the life of a theatre family in the 1950s. A middle-aged couple from Buffalo, New York deals with a shaky marriage and countless difficulties with money. They attempt to avoid these issues through quick humor and frantic mockery.

“The play is hilarious,” says Richard Denningham, director of this production. “It’s awesome to see how well the students are able to connect with that sort of humor.”

The various problems in the play will not be the main problem for the young cast. Lead performers Ethan Miller, Nicole Morales, Kyle Buonfilio and Mary Mullane will have to connect with the audience’s sense of humor. Although a daunting task, Denningham has full faith in his performers.

“They’ve worked so hard. The entire cast did such a fantastic job, and I can’t wait to see their hard work pay off.”

Denningham says that he always gives an opportunity for a musical or straight play. The only downside with this one, comedies aren’t always as popular.

“I hope people will realize the talent we have here,” he says. “They run the entire show, and I hope the audience can appreciate that.”

Performers have been working every day after school for the past few weeks. According to Denningham, it’s like a part-time job for them. Between learning their lines, constructing the set and perfecting costumes, the cast gives approximately 20 hours of their time each week.

The cast has worked tirelessly. The lines are finally learned, and the set is almost complete. All there is left to do is practice.

“I’m extremely happy with how it came out,” says Denningham. “I always enjoy seeing all of the pieces fall into place.”

Denningham said the timing of the jokes has to be perfect or else they may not land well with the audience.

“Moon Over Buffalo” relies on its situational comedy. Without this aspect, the meaning of the play is lost. The production also depends on its fast-paced bickering and sense of confusion. If too much focus is placed on that, the audience may even get confused themselves.

The Pilgrim drama program has had this in mind since the start of this production. They have worked from every angle in order to make sure each scene fits well with the rest of the play. Above all, they’ve made it humorous.

“The rest is fine-tuning and practice,” says Denningham. “I’m so excited to finally see how they perform.”

Tickets will be sold throughout this week, $7 for adults and $5 for students, seniors and children under 10 years old. Performances will be held this Friday, April 10 at 7 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Students working on the play and their roles are as follows:

Alex Bowden (“Howard”), Jenna Breslin (Stage Technician), Ryan Bruhn (“Le Bret,” Understudy), Kyle Buonfiglio (“Paul”), Caroline Cavanagh (Set Manager, “First Soldier,” Understudy), Casey Cokely (Audio), Mary Dolan (Stage Lighting), Leah Fitz-Simon (Stage Manager), Christina Genuario (Stage Technician), Dominique Johnson (Scenic Artist), Patrick Lawton (“Richard”), Katherine Lundin (Costume Design/Manager), Ethan Miller (“George Hay”), Sakari Monteiro (“Ethel”), Nicole Morales (“Charlotte Hay”), Mary Mullane (“Rosalind”), Megan Norberg (Stage Technician), Isabel Nunez (“Second Soldier”, Understudy) Jeffrey Perrault (“De Guiche”), Sarah Poppe (Property Manager), Julio Samayoa (Stage Technician, “Third Soldier,” Understudy), Scarlette Schultz (“Eileen”), Maxwell Sheehan (Curtain), Georgia Testa (Stage Technician), Alysa Vieira (Set Manager) and Arooj Zahid (Spotlight).