The Ringgold Playhouse's “The Nerd” and will offer its final five performances beginning Wednesday. Pictured from left, Corbin Sloan as “Thor Waldgrave,” Mark Morgan as “Warnock Waldgrave,” Nikki Sloan as “Clelia Waldgrave,” Adam Cook as “Rick Steadman,” Lindsey Knox as “Tansy McGinnis,” Dan Lyons as “Willum Cubbert,” and Joshua Chisholm as “Axel Hammond”.
photo by TRP
Following a "successful, laughter-filled opening weekend," The Ringgold Playhouse will kickoff the final week of its classic Larry Shue comedy, “The Nerd,” beginning Wednesday night.
After opening night on Jan. 21, the company cancelled its Friday night performance due to inclement weather, which is why the second weekend will begin a night earlier than originally planned.
“The weather threw us a curveball on Friday evening, but we’ve rescheduled that performance for Wednesday night, Jan. 27,” explained Adam Cook, TRP’s executive director. “We’ve never cancelled a show before, but we wanted to play it safe and protect our actors, crew, and patrons. We don’t usually run on Wednesday nights, but we’re looking to close out this wonderful show in fine fashion.”
The final five performances will now take place Wednesday night through Saturday night.
“We had great audiences the first two nights of the show, and we’re looking forward to making more folks laugh with week number two,” Mr. Cook said.
Review for The Nerd:
Set in the fall of 1981, “The Nerd,” is a story about an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, Ind., named Willum Cubbert. Willum has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met, but who saved his life after he was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He has written to Rick to say that, as long as he is alive, “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you.” So, Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment on the night of his 34th birthday party. But his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless “nerd.” He’s a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and even less tact. Rick stays on and on, his continued presence between Willum and his friends leading to one uproarious incident after another, until the normally placid Willum finds himself contemplating violence. A well-crafted story with dire developments, audiences will be surprised by the endearing “twist” ending of the play.
The cast includes TRP veteran and fan favorite Dan Lyons as “Willum,” Joshua Chisholm as “Axel,” Lindsey Knox as “Tansy,” Mark Morgan as Willum’s boss, “Warnock Waldgrave,” Nikki Sloan as “Clelia Waldgrave,” Corbin Sloan as “Thor Waldgrave,” and Cook as “Rick Steadman.”
The show is being directed by TRP veteran Ronald King, who knows a lot about comedy and Larry Shue’s work after working on another Shue hit, “The Foreigner,” just two years ago.
“The Foreigner was my favorite role I’ve ever played, and I’m been having a great time bringing another Larry Shue story to the Depot stage,” Mr. King said. “I can sum up this show in one word, funny! If you want to laugh and just have a fun night out, this the show you want to see. I’m really proud of this cast, they did a fantastic job opening this show.”
In addition to tickets for “The Nerd,” TRP also offers season ticket packages, which are currently on sale. The season ticket gives each audience member a ticket to all four productions of the season at a discounted price.
“It’s just a way for us to reward the audience members who continue to support us,” Mr. Cook said. “A lot of our patrons see every production anyway, so we decided to save them a little money in the process.”
General admission tickets for each production are $10, and $8 for seniors and students. Season tickets are $30, which basically gives theatergoers one admission free. For more information about TRP, tickets, or its 2016 Season, call 706.935-3061, or email TheRinggoldPlayhouse@gmail.com.