Going by title alone, The Nerd, a two-act comedy written by Larry Shue and produced this past weekend at Murfreesboro Little Theater, is about what you would expect. The titular “nerd” is indeed very stereotypically nerdy: socially inept, condescending and obnoxious, with pants that are too high while also being too short, and a high, straining wheeze instead of a voice. The setting is also rather commonplace: an apartment in Terre Haute, Ind., late 1979 (before nerds were cool). Three friends are preparing for a house party.
Axel Hammond (Andrew Thornhill), a caustic, cynical drama critic, and Tansy McGinnis (Patti Long-Lee), his one-time fiancée and aspiring weather girl, are discussing her upcoming move to Washington, D.C., and the romantic ramifications of such a decision as it pertains to their friend and landlord, Willum Cubbert (Christopher Wagner), a young architect with little “gumption” (as described by Tansy) and a deep-seated indebtedness to one Rick Steadman, an erstwhile war hero who saved Willum’s life in Vietnam. Despite having never actually met, the two have maintained a written correspondence throughout the years, with Willum vowing that as long as he lives, he would do everything in his power for Rick, should he ask.
The first guests to arrive at the party are Willum’s boss, the pompous, unimaginative Warnock Waldgrave (Christopher Hawkins), his high-strung, saucer-breaking wife Celia (Lora Hortert), and their young brat, Thor (Devin Hawkins). Amid the pleasantries, Thor’s tantrums, and Tansy’s desperation to serve food, Rick Steadman (Jonathan Higdon) shows up in full costume, having mistaken the get-together for a costume party. He’s awkward and abrasive, and having successfully driven the partygoers away, proceeds to make himself at home (literally).
Act II picks up about a week later, as Willum, harried, disheveled and borderline-desperate, wonders to his friends how he’ll get rid of the nerdy gadfly without hurting his feelings. It’s Axel, the uncaring, sarcastic drunk, and his mysterious friend Kemp Hall who devise a plan to run Rick out for good, by “inducing culture shock” and staging a night so ridiculous he will be driven away. Though the plan fails, Willum finally becomes so violently exasperated, he demands that Rick leaves. In a rush of newfound “gumption” he declares that he will also leave for a job in Alexandria, Va., close to Tansy’s new career, and “court [her] till she cracks.”
It’s a simple premise, but full of glib laughs. From Rick’s nasal whining to Celia Waldgrave’s neurotic, ladylike plate smashing, the amusement never stops. It was always on point and always well-timed. One joke was so funny that the audience took five minutes to settle while the actors waited patiently onstage. Of course, nothing else will do. The “nerd” has been played by both Mark Hamill and Rowan Atkinson over the years, so any actor stepping into those shoes will find them rather big, but Higdon, supported by an all-around excellent cast, does it justice (and did so well at being hateful that one audience member loudly sighed, “Just kill him!”).
Show times for upcoming productions, as well as ticket reservations, can be found at mltarts.com.
