Director John Rampage makes it look easy in the Diamond Head Theatre production, but he's also blessed with an excellent lead and designers who trot out the piece gussied up in rich colors like an old courtesan who can still turn a trick.

Opening on Broadway in 1962, starring Zero Mostel as Pseudolus, the show is loosely based on the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus, who liked to tell bawdy stories of crafty slaves who manipulated their masters.

Among great comics who played the part are Phil Silvers, Nathan Lane, and even Whoopi Goldberg.

Those are some mighty big buskins to fill, but Bill Ogilvie is not shy about stepping into them. The best thing about his performance is that he thoroughly fills out the part without looking like he's working too hard. Ogilvie is casual, flip, and offhand, but can pull his face and body into the necessary big physical gestures.

There are no lasting songs from the show, although the opening number "Comedy Tonight" has some staying power. Pseudolus uses it to introduce the play's characters.

There's not much of a plot. While his master and mistress are away, Pseudolus helps Hero, the family's son, win the heart of Philia — who is owned by a neighbor who deals in courtesans. But Philia has already been sold. When the master returns, jokes and disguises begin to fall thick and fast.

Supporting roles are excellently cast. Brent Yoshikami is the young Hero, with Kirsten Dixon discovering new dumb-blonde possibilities as the vacuous Philia. Jerry Altwies is the fumbling master Senex with Roxanne Fay as his braying wife.

Brian Gilhooly turns in a strong supporting performance as the house slave Hysterium —who is coaxed through a song into playing Philia's corpse and truly begins to believe that he may be "Lovely." Matthew is the swaggering and thick-headed Captain Miles Gloriosus and Tom Holowach plays a gullible Marcus Lycus, procurer of courtesans.

While there's not much choreography, the show has a crowd-pleasing soft-shoe number, "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid," and each of the courtesans gets a solo.

Sets by Patrick Kelly, costumes by Karen Wolfe, and lights by Dawn Oshima are all excellently done. Alethea Train is musical director, and keeps up the volume and the pace.