Plenty of laughs at Ridgeville's "The Nerd"

Love them or hate them, there are "nerds" among us every day.

If you want to see one of them at their very best - or worst- pay a visit to North Rideville's Olde Towne Hall Theatre over the next three weekends. Larry Shue's sitcom-on-stage, The Nerd runs tonight and tomorrow, April 27-28, and May 2-4th.

Willum Cubbert (Kurt Hildebrand) is an architect in Terre Haute, Indiana, who is about to receive a visit from a man named Rick Steadman (Jim Jason), who saved his life in Vietnam. While the expectations are high, Willum will soon learn that his "lifesaver" is a bumbling oaf with absolutely no social graces and even worse, no clue at all.

Add to the picture Willum's stuffy boss, Warnock "Ticky" Waldgrave (Mark Silberstein), his plate-smashing wife Clelia (Kathy Whitmore) and hyperactive son Thor (Jarod Wade), you have the perfect recipe for Act One disaster.

Jim Jason is hysterical as Rick Steadman; after ten minutes on stage, I was ready (hypothetically, of course) to walk up on stage and clobber him. He typifies the stereotypical nerd in its most extreme. From the high pitched whining to the goofy antics and silly facial expressions, I am not sure if I would have even let him into my home.

Hildebrand is more laid back as Willum Cubbert, and I often wondered if he was genuinely interested in his "girlfriend," Tansy McGinnis (Melissa Lyle). There seemed to be no relationship there that I could buy into or believe. Often, I wondered why Willum delivered his monologues pacing around the stage instead of "talking" with the characters with whom he was supposed to be interacting.

Silberstein as Waldgrave was hilarious; his over the top "anger at life" stood in direct opposition to Steadman's antics, and Waldgrave's verbosity was one of the high points of the evening. The goofier our "nerd" gets, the more desperate and verbose Willum's boss becomes!

Director Brad Sales has a winner in this production with a capable cast, nicely designed set, and appropriate sound effects. Although this type of show is not for everyone, it is a nice break from typical theatre, and as I have suggested before, is more like a campy episode of a 1980s sitcom.

Insert the sarcasm of Axel Hammond (Steven Hubbard), the attractive Lyle's charm as Willum's girlfriend, and an endearing 10-year old running from closet to closet in terror, you have a side-splitting night of community theatre in western Lorain County.

And when you leave the theatre, you'll have a craving for garbanzos and rusks. Or maybe warm water and cottage cheese. You decide.

****

For more information, visit the Olde Towne Hall Theatre's website at www.oldetownehalltheatre.com or call their box office at (440) 327-2909.