"Greater Tuna" is one of those little shows that grew into a big deal. It started out in 1981, an unassuming comedy starring Jaston Williams and Joe Sears (who co-wrote the piece with Ed Howard). The two actors slipped into 20 roles, playing all sorts of characters populating the small town of Tuna, Texas.

The show moved from its first performance, in Austin, Texas, to off-Broadway the following year. "Greater Tuna" became one of the most-performed plays in America in the mid-1980s. It was done as a 1984 HBO special, and Williams and Sears performed the show at the White House, where President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush were in the audience.

In fact, "Greater Tuna" became so popular, it spawned sequels: "A Tuna Christmas," "Red, White and Tuna" and "Tuna Does Vegas."

The Chestnut Street Playhouse in Norwich is now staging "Greater Tuna" as part of an entertainingly diverse season whose previous offerings have included "Cabaret," "Avenue Q" and "Doubt."

Shane Kegler directs his brother, Scott Kegler, and Nathan Rumney in the production that runs from Thursday through Oct. 16. (Shane Kegler has worked with Scott before; they've directed each other, they've acted together, and Shane has directed some of the shows Scott is writing.)

"Greater Tuna" explores the lives of various residents of Tuna, including radio hosts, a gun shop owner, a weatherman, and the Humane Society leader.

"It's weird in terms of talking about plot, because it's more of a day in a life in a small Southern town," Shane Kegler says. "There isn't necessarily a story per se. Certain characters pop up multiple times. You see what they're doing."

There are some wisps of storylines, though, such as the death of longtime judge, prompting some characters to prepare to attend his funeral.

Really, though, "Greater Tuna" is a satire that pokes fun at the small-town Southern lifestyle, Kegler says.

"It'll be interesting to see how it plays just because of everything that's going on in our time, how relevant the show actually is ... in terms of all the commentary on race and religion and politics," he says. "So the show could very well strike a chord just because of how it's going to relate to a lot of things going on."

Getting to play so many diverse roles in one comedy is certainly a draw for actors, but Kegler says, "It's also very complicated and frightening because you've got two actors playing 10 roles, which is tough enough, but you look at all the lines you have to memorize ... and then there's scene work, so the show is quite a challenge for actors."

They each play a woman, kids, older people — a wide variety of characters.

As a director, Kegler says, he tries to make sure the actors have the time to craft each character as individuals, down to distinctive walks and voices.

A lot of the humor in "Greater Tuna" comes from the fact that it's just two actors becoming such a wide array of characters. Kegler compared it to "The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)" and "The 39 Steps," where the performers get the chance to play multiple roles.

"I come from a background of working in physical comedies and character work, so I love the idea of being able to do a show where the actors get to use their physicality and create all these different characters," he says.

A note: This Friday's performance is a "Pay What You Can Night," where patrons can pay whatever ticket prices they can afford.

"Greater Tuna," Chestnut Street Playhouse, 24 Chestnut St., Norwich; opens Thursday and runs through Oct. 16; 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. and 2 p.m. Sun.; $20; (860) 886-2378, chestnutstreetplayhouse.tix.com.