By Jennifer Mustoe
Having seen Larry Shue‘s The Foreigner recently, I was excited to see the Covey’s latest offering, The Nerd, the only other popular play by Shue. Before you read anything else in this review, call the Covey and get your tickets. No, really–NOW. Then come back and read why you bought the tickets.
As a theater review of many years, I’ve developed something of a distance to watch for technical aspects of the shows I watch. I say, hmm, he did that line quite well. She has great timing. And so forth. In The Nerd last night, I found several things going on.
- The players are so tight that I stopped being “picky” and just enjoyed the play.
- As an actress, I kept saying, Oh, good one, when one of the castful of truly polished performers did something really great, and I said it as an actress, not a reviewer.
The story is architect Willum Cubbert (Dylan Wright) has two pals, Tansy McGinnis (Clara Richardson) (and these two are really engaged in real life, marrying three days after the show closes (ah)) and Axel Hammond (Taycen Timothy). Willum and Tansy really are in love, but are too stubborn to do anything about it. Axel watches it all through a bourbon haze–watches and waits–while supplying stinging, sarcastic barbs in a dry, I’ve-seen-it-all manner. Willum works for the easily excitable Warnock Waldgrave (Jacob Baird), who wants Willum to create the world’s most boring hotel. Waldgrave, his wife, Clelia (Chelsea Mortensen) (is Clelia a name?), and their remarkably obnoxious son Thor (Luke Belnap) join the three friends for Willum’s birthday party. Into this party comes Willum’s Army pal who saved his life, Rick Steadman (Andrew Groome), aka The Nerd. Willum owes his life to Rick, but never met him face to face. Rick, in quick and hilarious fashion, wreaks complete nerdy havoc.
It may sound lazy to write: everybody is really, really good–perfect, even. So I won’t be lazy and I’ll tell you why I loved each player. Wright as Willum is so precisely fine–his mannerisms, his facial expressions, his deft physical comedy. I will be watching for this actor, hoping I can see him in other productions soon. I completely bought him as Willum the lovesick, kind-hearted, slightly harassed architect. Richardson as Tansy–she is a lovely woman, so it would be easy to think she’s just a pretty face. But watch her timing. Watch her physicality in one of the many rambunctious physical scenes. Watch her empathy, her longing, her stern, I’m going to make something of myself attitude. She, too, is one to watch. Timothy as Axel is truly divine. His dry, I don’t give a crap manner is very precise. (And yes, I said crap in this review because I will tell you, there is some swearing in this show. It is just over the PG line for language, but it fits in the story and I looked around the conservative Provo audience and no-one was swooning. I say now, bring your kids. There are damns, not darns, gods not goshes–so be aware. But bring the kids.) Timothy is so contained, so wily, so fun in the most reticent and sarcastic way–very wonderful performance. Baird as Waldgrave–let’s put it this way–it’s a good thing he’s a young man in pretty good shape, because when he blows a gasket onstage, you wonder if he’s going to have a heart attack. He is a tightly wrapped, uninspired, all business businessman and he plays his character with so much gusto, it’s hard to look away. I talked to him after the show, and he is a really nice, soft-spoken fellow. So take that with you when you see the show. Mortensen as Clelia is very good. I don’t want to give anything away, but some of her line delivery–sublime. And um, what happens on the couch? Yeah, go see it. Prepare for a jump scene of sorts. Belnap as Thor is a funny kid who has a seriously piercing scream. He plays the brat pretty well, but where I was most impressed is he stumbled on some water on the stage and on he went. I like to see someone who can just DO live theater and this kid has it.
Groome as the Nerd Rick is supremely brilliant. He is not better than anyone else onstage, they’re all marvelous. But my oh my–Rick is so awful in his nerdiness, and Groome has made him at once completely obnoxious but sweetly lovable, too. Really, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. His facial expressions, his tone of voice–all of it is so spot on. I have never seen this show before, but I would think it would be very easy to go nerdy in a whiny, strange voice and overplay it. Groome does neither. He is this big, lunky, geeky goof, and we loved every single minute of it.
Director Reese Purser does a fabulous job of giving his actors a lot of interesting stage business to keep the already rollicking scenes from going flat. Shue gives a lot of stage direction in his scripts, but Purser truly makes The Nerd his own project and has clearly cast the perfect actors for the show. Again, I watched as a Reviewer and an Actress and it was so fun to see all the levels, the interaction, the small details that brought so much energy and liveliness to the show. Purser has a tight, tight show and I really couldn’t find a flaw there.
Costumer April Lewis has her actors looking very retro, though we thought the gamer shirt for Thor and his hairdo was a little too modern. But the actresses especially look fabulous in their early 80s finery. And Rick’s costume when he comes in? Wowza.
I enjoyed this silly, fun, sweet, redeeming show a great deal. If I didn’t have a ton more shows to review in this crazy August, I’d for sure go again. As it is, I think I’m going to just purchase two tickets and give them to someone if I can’t go again. I can make time, right? On a more serious note, my companion at the play struggles with depression. I had something of a time getting him to even go. But it was wonderful to see him get involved in the play, laugh his guts out, and really let some of his problems fall away for a few hours. The Nerd is a wonderfully cathartic, happy, make you feel better show. Times are tough, peeps. The Covey’s The Nerd is one of the reasons why I support the Arts so passionately. It can make an unhappy man laugh. So there you go.
I had no idea how this chaos was going to end, and the ending is just perfect, just like the whole show. Don’t Wiki this to see what happens. Just go. Go now. Order your tickets, get as many of your friends and family as possible and see The Covey’s The Nerd. It was a sold out opening night, and because it’s in the Black Box, seats are limited.
The Covey Center for the Performing Arts presents The Nerd by Larry Shue
The Covey Center for the Performing Arts, Brinton Black Box Theatre, 425 Center St, Provo, UT 84601
August 2-28, 2018 Mon, Thurs-Saturday 7:30 PM, Thursday talk back session immediately after performance
Tickets: $16, $14 children, students, seniors
Contact: 801-852-7007
Covey Center for the Arts Facebook Page
The Nerd Facebook Event
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