This weekend, No Refund Theatre (NRT) is offering big laughs; thinking is not required.

Keep this in mind as the theater group presents Neil Simon's romantic comedy Fools.

"It's just so funny," director Adam Boltz (sophomore-computer science, psychology) said of the play. "Neil Simon writes some of the best stuff, and this script and the story are great."

The scene is set in the Russian village of Kulyenchikov. For 200 years the people of this town have been living under a scorned lover's curse: the curse of absolute stupidity. Everyone in the town is completely without intelligence, and will remain this way until the curse can be broken.

As with most evil curses, the means to break them are limited. This curse is no exception. It can only be done in two ways: Sophia, a beautiful, but of course foolish, girl from the village must marry an evil Count, or if she will not, the curse will be lifted if and when someone from the town can be educated.

But alas, this option seems hopeless in a community that is intrigued by drinking water and watching the bottom of their shoes.

Enter Leon.

"Leon is the idealistic teacher, ready to make a difference in the world," Jon Kroberger (freshman- division of undergraduate studies) said of his character. "He comes to this village determined to help people learn, but once he gets there he realizes it's going to be much harder than he originally thought."

The plot thickens when Leon falls in love with Sophia, but soon learns he has only 24 hours to break the curse before he falls under it as well.

Sari Rothrock (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) will play Sophia in her first NRT performance.

"Sophia is a total fool," Rothrock said of her character. "She is 19 years old and has just learned how to sit down, so she is very proud of that. But there's a spark inside of her that Leon can see. He knows that she really does want to learn."

With a town full of fools, and a dilemma of this nature, the stage is certainly set for the tale of love, stupidity and human nature to unfold.

"The whole reason I'm doing this, is to make the audience laugh," Boltz said of his directorial debut.

"I love that reaction you get when your audience is watching a comedy and they really think it's funny."

Rothrock said she thinks this comedy is special because it appeals to such a wide range of audiences. "I love the fact that there are so many different kinds of humor in this play," she said. "It's slapstick. It's witty. It's even a little raunchy if you pick up on it. It's just funny. And it's funny for all ages and all audiences."

Kroberger agrees.

"It's a very laid-back show," he said. "It doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's probably funnier if you don't think too much about it. Just let the stupidity wash over you and enjoy the show. Everyone can love and appreciate a bunch of Russian idiots."

Take a break from things serious and smart, and join NRT as they perform Fools at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday in 111 Forum. Admission and laughs are free.