Review: "The Nerd"

Posted by arts_reviews

Posted: April 27, 2008 - 9:29 am

Zany comedy earns its laughs

By Maia Nolan

Alaska Community Theatre’s production of “The Nerd,” which opened this weekend, may not be high art, but it is a lot of fun. Director Dannielle De Shasier’s cast isn’t afraid of looking ridiculous, and as a result this staging of Larry Shue’s comedy is a riot.

“The Nerd” is a good choice for ACT’s intimate performance space; while there are only seven actors in the cast, they fill up the small stage, particularly when things start to get zany.

And the action does get zany indeed, once Rick, the titular “nerd” played by Nate Benson, arrives to visit architect Willum, whose life he saved in Vietnam (and who has never actually met him). Fortunately, “The Nerd” works best when it is at its most ridiculous, particularly one scene in which Rick leads the rest of the characters in a party game that involves wearing paper grocery bags over their heads. The paper bag scene alone is reason enough to go see “The Nerd” — the entire cast steps up to the challenge of keeping their comedic momentum while stumbling around, half-blind, and the result is hilarious. Suffice to say these performers can act their way out of a paper bag — in fact, the paper bag scene features some of the show’s best acting.

While the crazy scenes play well, there are some pacing issues that make the show feel a little uneven. The energy of the ensemble scenes doesn’t carry over into scenes involving fewer characters. There are a number of awkward transitions in the first act during which the time between entrances and exits leaves the stage empty just long enough to feel slightly uncomfortable. Because the manic scenes are so well done, the less-polished scenes and transitions seem even rougher in comparison.

De Shasier has assembled a good cast, with the best performances are delivered by her female actors. Jessie Scholz plays Tansy, Willum’s long-suffering girlfriend, with ace delivery and, in the first act, a slow-boiling rage that heightens the comedy of the events unfolding around her. Kathryn Tryck plays Clelia, the wife of one of Willum’s business associates, with a Martha Stewart veneer that doesn’t crack even when she’s channeling her frustration by smashing china with a hammer. And then there’s second-grader Natalie Cefoldo, who is appropriately obnoxious as Clelia’s daughter Athena, and with great comic timing to boot.

As usual, ACT’s volunteer-powered stagecraft is beautifully executed. Technical elements are employed to good result, and the cast cavorts about a carefully-detailed set designed by Thomas Higgins and dressed by Linda Benson.

Despite the inclement weather, “The Nerd” played to a packed house Saturday night, and the cast picked up on the audience’s energy, capitalizing on each well-earned laugh to catapult into the next. Uneven pacing aside, “The Nerd” is a solid show, and a ton of fun.

Maia Nolan lives and writes in Anchorage.

“The Nerd” shows at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through May 11 at Anchorage Community Theatre (1133 E. 70th Ave.). Tickets are $8-$12 (868-4913, 344-4713, www.actalaska.org).

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