The Players Guild of Dearborn presents the Larry Shue comedy “The Nerd” at 8 p.m. Feb. 18, 19, 25 and 26, and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20 and 27, with Kaela Green (left) of Wayne as Tansy McGinnis, Alex Zull of Detroit as Rick Steadman, Meredith Gorden of Dearborn as Clelia Waldgrave, David Wood of Dearborn as Warnock Walgrave, Kris Wright of Southgate as Axel Hammond, and Patrick Davidson of Livonia as Willum Cubbert. For more information, go to playersguildofdearborn.org.
Laughter-inducing comedy takes center stage Feb. 18 to 25 as the Players Guild of Dearborn presents Larry’s Shue’s “The Nerd.”
Set in Terre Haute, Ind., in late 1979, the story focuses on an architect, Willum Cubbert, who has an unexpected guest at a dinner party: Rick Steadman, a man he has never met, but who saved his life when he was seriously wounded in Vietnam.
While Willum owes his life to Rick, what he doesn’t anticipate is how social awkward and annoying the man can be until Rick starts to turn his life upside down, upsetting a client and costing Willum an important commission.
Carissa Lokken of Livonia makes her directorial debut with the show, and promises lots of hilarity.
“Laughter is so needed right now,” she said. “This show offers many reasons to laugh.”
Lokken said the small cast has worn masks during the rehearsal process, but it hasn’t been a problem.
“It’s actually a blessing, because the cast can focus on projection and body language, which is so very important,” she said.
Producer Megan Lizbinski of Detroit said the comedy will give audiences a break from the strain COVID-19 has put on everyone.
“Rehearsals have been a pleasure to watch, and I can’t wait to actually see everyone’s faces,” she said. “It’s been amazing to watch this production come together.”
The cast includes: Patrick Davidson of Livonia as Willum Cubbert; Kaela Green of Wayne as Tansy McGinnis; Kris Wright of Southgate as Axel Hammond; Alex Zull of Detroit as Rick Steadman; and Dearborn residents David Wood as Warnock Waldgrave, Meredith Gorden as Clelia Waldgrave and Calum Carscadden as Thor Waldgrave.
Davidson said it is fun playing a well-meaning man pushed to his limits.
“The most fun about playing Willum is his blissful ignorance and his undying patience for the shenanigans going on in his apartment,” he said. “The most challenging part is conveying his love for Tansy while demonstrating his undeveloped relationship skills, and it is quite a balancing act to convey his love and awkwardness at the same time.”
Davidson said the show is hilarious.
“I hope audiences unplug from life and just laugh for a couple of hours,” he said. “They’ll get a real abdominal workout from laughing when they see it.”
Green said her challenge as Tansy, a strong, confident woman, is finding her place in all the craziness occurring onstage.
“Some may see her as one of the ‘normal’ personalities on stage, so she may not stand out as much in the crazy scenes with Rick, but she is very much a part of the underlying tension that Willum feels in this show,” she said.
Green said “The Nerd” reminds her of the movie “What About Bob?”
“That is what drew me to this show,” she said. “A strange character hilariously disrupting the normalcy of social gatherings makes for a wild ride.”
Zull said he enjoys casting aside all the rules of social etiquette as Rick.
“He behaves as obnoxiously as he pleases,” he said. “It is a lot of fun to be consistently ridiculous.”
Zull said developing a nerdy voice was a challenge.
“I had to find one that didn’t strain my voice too much, because Rick keeps on talking,” he said.
Zull said he loves being aggressively silly and obnoxious.
“It is fun for me, and I think the audience is going to have a great time,” he said. “Hopefully, they will keep laughing as they alternate between shock, disbelief, bewilderment and an abundance of silliness.”
Wood said he is glad to get back on stage, and said the sight gags and physical humor are both fun and challenging for him.
“I need to wear a paper bag on my head, hum with my fingers in my ears and spin around,” he said. “It’s just a fun show, and my hope for the audience is that they will be able to laugh.”
Proof of vaccination and masking are required of all audience members.
The show runs 8 p.m. Feb. 18, 19, 25 and 26, and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20 and 27 at the theater, 21730 Madison St. in Dearborn. For tickets, call 313-561-TKTS. For more information, go to playersguildofdearborn.org.