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Peer Reviews The Nerd Written by Larry Shue Reviewed by Cristina Martin Entire contents copyright © 2009, Cristina Martin. All rights reserved.
Can you remember the last time you laughed so hard you nearly fell off your chair? It happened to me recently, at Wayward Actors Company's production of The Nerd. Larry Shue's oft-performed comedy feels fresh under Barbara O'Daniel-Munger's direction, and a strong cast does credit to an unbelievably funny script. The play is set in the Terre Haute, IN apartment of architect Will Cubbert (John Hess). Interestingly, in Shue's original version, the play took place in 1979 and Will was a veteran of the war in Vietnam; here, it is 1995 and he had served as a military draftsman in the Persian Gulf War. Will's friends Tansy McGinnis (Katie Graviss) and Axel Hammond (John Trueblood) have planned a birthday celebration for Will and have snuck into the apartment to set the stage even before he arrives home. Perhaps the lighting malfunctioned at the show's beginning the night I was there, because it seemed very odd that Graviss and Trueblood should be whispering and scurrying about on stage in complete darkness even before the audience welcome. One sensed that they were actors rather than crew members, but a little bit of light would have made this clear. Will arrives, a generally mellow, fundamentally nice guy as Hess plays him. He's a bit down-in-the mouth, however, burdened by work concerns and still not over the fact that Tansy, his one-time girlfriend, is due to leave for Washington, D.C. very soon to pursue a career as a meteorologist. Tansy is kind-hearted and likes to encourage her friends to do anonymous good deeds for others; in Graviss' interpretation, Tansy's sweet side is very evident, but the fierce ambition that makes her willing to leave the familiar behind in pursuit of her career needs some development. It seemed to take a while both for the actors to warm to their roles and for the relationships among them to become clear. Axel, a rather pretentious, always wry drama critic for the local paper, lives in Will's building as well. Trueblood keeps the sarcastic one-liners coming and plays his role with aplomb. I got a particular kick out of the fact that because of his pressing deadlines, he has the habit of writing most of his theatre reviews in advance of seeing the shows, and he leaves every performance 30 minutes before the end. As Tansy says, for all Axel knows, Hamlet gets the girl and Godot shows up! Will's answering machine plays a significant role in furthering the action, also. Sound Manager Michael C. Harris and Sound Technician Liz Graviss do a seamless job of making the messages play precisely on cue, and the voices in the messages themselves are priceless. Here too, however, while the various persistent callers have distinctive manners of speaking, it takes a while to sort out who's who. Things become clearer when one of the callers, Warnock Waldgrave (Rick O'Daniel-Munger), shows up with his wife, Celia (Julie Mayfield) and his rude hellion of a son, Thor (fifth-grader Drew Koch). Will is designing a hotel for Mr. Waldgrave, who is eager to check out the architectural drawings but voices his disapproval in short order. Rick O'Daniel-Munger is fittingly blustery and arrogant as Waldgrave (ridiculously nicknamed "Ticky"), whose rather mousy wife Celia is portrayed with a delivery, mannerisms and facial expressions that make her completely convincing and very funny, especially when she gives in to her urge to relieve stress by breaking small objects with surprising energy. Kudos to Julie Mayfield, who has returned to acting after a hiatus of several years; I do hope we have the opportunity to see her on stage again soon. The central premise of The Nerd is that Will is paid a visit by a young man from Wisconsin by the name of Rick Steadman (Frank Whitaker), who, as an army private, had saved Will's life in the war several years ago. Out of the sincere desire to honor his debt of gratitude, Will extends Steadman his hospitality. Soon, however, Steadman's nerdy presence begins to drive Will and his friends to utter distraction, and they're forced to come up with a desperate plot to get rid of him. In the eponymous role, Frank Whitaker absolutely makes the play. He transforms himself into the ultimate nerd, complete with a hilariously goofy appearance, an annoying nasal voice featuring a Wisconsin accent that's actually quite good, and an air of pitiable innocence coupled with hopeless social ineptitude and lack of self-awareness. Whitaker's comic timing is right on, and he seems to bring out the best in his fellow actors as they interact with him. He is extraordinary to watch, mainly because he inhabits whatever role he's playing so thoroughly and makes it all look effortless. When Rick Steadman finally seems to get something of a clue and decides to leave, his absence leaves a void. Is this it?, we're left to wonder. It's true that in the course of all that has ensued, Will has come to some realizations with regard to his professional life and he and Tansy have worked out some issues, but ... after all that, the Nerd is just going to walk away? As it turns out, there's more. Which is why someone like Axel Hammond would miss the whole point if he were to leave early. Of course, with a production this entertaining, I can't imagine that anyone would dream of it.
The Nerd Wayward Actors Company Tickets: (502) 584-7777 or
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