Looking for a stuffy stage drama?

You won't find it with "Flaming Idiots," opening tonight at the Georgia Mountains Center.

The Georgia Mountain Players' last production of the 2008 season is a comic ride, with the plot revolving around two men who, on a lark, open a gourmet restaurant and watch as misfortunes unfold.

"Usually when you direct (a comedy) for six weeks, you start thinking, ‘Is this really funny?'" said Dianne Martin, the play's director. "... But at (Sunday's) rehearsal, I laughed out loud so many times."

The play is set for 8 p.m. today through Saturday and Oct. 23-24 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 25.

Ticket prices are $16 for adults and $12 for students, children and seniors (60 or older).

The Georgia Mountain Players, a Gainesville-based repertory company, started 16 years ago as a group of amateur actors seeking an outlet for their work.

The group felt "there was a niche in the community for good, wholesome family entertainment," Martin said. The players put on four or five shows a year.

"We do comedies and musical comedies," Martin said. "We don't do very much drama. ... Most of the time, it's silly, little comedies." Silly pretty much describes "Flaming Idiots."

The main characters, Carl and Phil, are Postal Service employees seeking to improve their income through opening a restaurant.

"Carl creates a flaming drink, and Phil decides to try to copy a popular cross-town spot, where a notorious mobster was killed," according to the play's description on the group's Web site.

"From there, it's all downhill. A hit man, a deaf cook and a dead guy are part of general mayhem that ensues."

Jene Robocker, a sales associate at Cozy Corner at 111 Brenau Ave. in Gainesville, plays the deaf cook.

"It was very difficult not to make sounds," she said. "This is one of the most challenging things I've ever done, I guess."