Staff photo by Clay Schuldt “You Can’t Beat the House” cast rehearses the climax of the play. Left to right, Maida Jaspersen as Madame Zenobia, Lauren Schauer as Brittany Marie, Ari Selvey as Merle, Kincaid Diersen as Howie, Mizha Overn as Glenda Spears, Nick Pleiss as Conrad Spears, Stephanie Dose as Lillian, Ben Kramer as Officer Larraby, Greta Bloedel as Fern Larraby, and Elizabeth Kassuelke as Courtney Parfait.

NEW ULM — The student actors in Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s play are learning the hard way that “You Can’t Beat the House.”

“You Can’t Beat the House” is a 2003 play written by Pat Cook. MVL students will perform it at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday in the MVL gymnasium. Tickets at the door are $5 for adults and $3 students and seniors. Children under six are free.

The farcical comedy is the story of Merle (Ari Selvey) and Howie (Kincaid Diersen), two minor-league burglars who broke into a house only to find out no one lives there and it’s up for sale.

Before they can leave Conrad (Nick Pleiss) and Glenda (Mizha Overn), prospective buyers, show up. The two burglars decide they better pretend to be realtors until they can sneak out. Things get complicated when the actual real estate agent shows up. Soon more oddball characters, including a medium and a cop, turn up and it turns out the house is haunted.

For Merle and Howie breaking out of the house is proving more complicated than breaking into the house.

Director Jennifer Uher said one of the challenges of this production was keeping the momentum going. The entire play takes place on a single set without scene changes, so it is up to the actors to keep the audience entertained.

“At times we have three groups of characters on set having different conversations at the same time,” Uher said. “It is a bit of a challenge, but it’s a comedy, so it’s lots of fun!”

The actors have been in reversal since the second week of September and ready to perform in front of a live audience this weekend.