The play Wonder of the Worlds, a wacky comedy written by David Lindsay-Abaire, premiered last Thursday night in Hayward.

Directed by Hayward local Dale Albright, the play has seven cast members, with each respective character clinging desperately to a secret that can only come to light by the end of the story.

The plot follows the heroine, Cass, played by Eden Neuendorf, as she attempts to complete her bucket list, written before she married her husband, Kip, performed by Drew Reitz.

Cass leaves Kip in the opening scene, for reasons that are revealed halfway through the production. As Kip tries to win back her love, Cass continues her journey of exploration, meeting other troubled people along the way.

Lois, played by Diahanna Davidson, becomes Cass’s drunken sidekick, bringing along a pickle barrel and a broken heart. Cass also makes friends with a couple of financially strapped private investigators and a widowed sea captain.

“Lindsay-Abaire’s very generous with his characters; everyone’s very eccentric and very strange,” says Susan E. Evans, artistic director of Douglas Morrisson Theatre.

The plot drifts along like the Niagara River, around which the play takes place: it continues to gain speed as the audience and cast members near the falls, until there’s no way back. As the story progresses, it only gets funnier and more ridiculous.

The play, which is just over two hours long, is chock-full of not-so-subtle naughty innuendos and slapstick slip-ups. Similar to A Comedy of Errors, this production begs the audience to laugh as the lives of the characters intersect.

David Lindsay-Abaire is known for writing plays that border on absurd, but won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for Rabbit Hole, a drama, according to Evans. He also wrote Shrek the Musical.

This is the first official opening since the renovations to the theater have been complete to meet ADA standards, fully equipped with working restrooms and additions to the lobby.

The theater has a thrust stage, with the front rows practically at the toes of the cast members, giving the whole setting an intimate feel. And with the theater set in such a way, the acoustics wrap around the entire audience.

While the show didn’t officially open until Friday, Aug. 29, the actors gave the audience something to laugh about. The preview of a show gives the cast a chance to fine-tune timing, which, according to Evans, is especially important in comedy.

The play will run through Sept. 21 at the Douglas Morrisson Theatre in Hayward.