A small preview audience Wednesday night took in “Shootout at Slippery Rock Creek” which was written and directed by local playwright Kevin Lukacs.

The tale is based on local history and uses the Old Stone House for the purpose it was intended originally.

The show opens with Greg Crawford (Julius “Doc” Holliday) expounding on the virtues of living in America and included dialogue about great men building great societies. His wonderful spiel, delivered in a lovely accent, turned out to be quite the surprise.

The consummate Crawford played the snake oil salesman with great verve and finesse.

Lukacs plays Doc's companion, Freddy, a helper in all things huckster. His portrayal of the naive young lad was spot on. Lukacs even made himself blush in the presence of his on-stage gal.

As always, Lukacs embraced every aspect of the character and offered a compelling representation. He had sweet chemistry with his co-star, Madison Uram, who played his lovely Robin.

But of course it would be hard for Lukacs not to do well since he crafted the character and wrote his lines.

Speaking of line writing, the story was the perfect length and packed the perfect punch. Kudos to the playwright.

As director, Lukacs managed the intimate stage space and the character blocking deftly, creating an enjoyable theater experience for the audience. Bravo to the director.

Also sharing the stage was the larger-than-life presence of Madame Lili, played by the well-matched Katie Moore.

Capitalizing on her assets, Moore was every inch the madame, err, innkeeper. Her spunk and sass were delightful as she coyly but skillfully toyed with the men to get her way.

The other bold lass, Cassandra, was quite capably played by Rachel Lambert. Her comedic timing and energetic manner combined with her delivery was amusing.

Most entertaining was her interaction with Detective Jackson Rizzo, played by Terry Thompson, who was hilarious. Though their stage time was brief, it was memorable.

His partner, Stephen Fogle, was all business in his short stint as a New York City detective. The dynamic crime fighting duo had their own little chemistry going that was fun to watch.

Nathan Fuhrman-Renwick put the capital C in cynical with his interpretation of “Scoots,” the partner in actual crime with Doc. The tall drink of water that he is was mostly sour grapes and sarcasm from his first line, which he seemed to deliver with ease.

The evening proved a night of fun theater. The story is well crafted and infused with local phrases and references, which give the production a personal, homey feel.

Some information for the audiences: the show is an hour long, the seating is tight and the action is close. Breezes are minimal, so dress comfortably.

The production is definitely worth it, but do your part to be comfortable enough to enjoy it.

The combination of young talent with the Old Stone House is another success in the collaboration between Slippery Rock University and Butler Little Theatre. I hope it is a tradition that continues.

The show debuts at the Old Stone House on Friday and runs for two consecutive weekends. Seating is limited so be sure to get reserve your tickets.

WHAT: “Shootout at Slippery Rock Creek” presented by Butler Little TheatreWHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 11-20.WHERE: Old Stone House, 2865 William Flinn Highway, Slippery RockTICKETS: $10 at the door or $11.24 online at http://oldstonehousepa.tumblr.com/tickets