[.ca] The Nerd (ISBN 0822208113)

good book:
it was a so-so book, but had everything it needed to be a good book.

Awesome:
This play was absolutely awesome. It is very humurous and is definately a page turner. I have also seen it performed, and it's even funnier on stage. A must read, and a must see!

A literary and performance masterpiece!:
This is easilly my favorite play ever. Last year, I directed it for a Student Directed Production at my high school and had a lot of success and strong audience response. I had people walk up to me hoping for more performances because they had laughed SO HARD. Some of my closest friends actually said they had fallen off their seats laughing. Involving a small cast of 7, this production creates what reviewers say is "one of the funniest plays ever written". The plot begins with architect Willum Cubbert getting a surprise birthday party from his girlfriend Tansy and his room mate and play-critic, Axel. From the beginning, the characters are establishes, but the plot takes a little while to catch onto. Tansy talks about leaving Willum for a job opportunity in Washington because she feels like she's spinning her tires with Willum. Finally, Willum's boss, Waldgrave, his wife, Clelia, and son, Thor, arrive. From this family's entrance, they're a comedy routine on their own! Waldgrave is edgy and very high strung, while Clelia presents herself as a very calm and collected special ed. teacher...while their son, Thor, is a hellian! :) After a while, a man who once saved Willum's life in Vietnam, shows up on the answering machine. And this man, named Rick Steadman, shows up, and is a bumbling oaf and a complete NERD! All in all, Rick drives EVERYONE nuts! Clelia smashes dishes to relieve stress, Waldgrave screams and pitches a fit, and Thor locks himself in the bedroom. After a LOT of comedic setups, the Waldgrave family exits with muddy clothes, soaked shoes, and a psychologically messed up delinquent. Willum, Tansy, and Axel result in constantly being driven up the wall by Rick. So, Rick decides to stay...permanantly. Willum doesn't feel as if he could just tell Rick to leave, so he stays and DRIVES HIM UP THE WALL! After dedicated attempts at ridding themselves of Rick, they decide the only way it's possible, is by performing bizarre Pagan rituals. After dancing around the room, Willum, Tansy, and Axel all realize that Rick is ENJOYING himself! Finally, Rick joins the chant and shouts for them to throw cottage cheese out the window. They do. And Waldgrave reenters the apartment with a pile of cottage cheese covering him. In the end, Willum is fired completely because of Rick. And that is when Willum decides to tell the schmuck to leave. And in a very awkward way, the nerd makes his exit. And Willum, now jobless, decides to take a job offer in Washington, so he can remain with Tansy. A love setup was caused by a secret plan by Axel and the actor who had played Rick Steadman the entire time. Willum may go to Washington realizing that he's now jobless, but as "Rick" says "by that time, I'm sure he'll be so happy he'll forget to be mad" and the curtain closes. There is no perfect way to review this, due to all the humour within the dialogue. I simply will say, BUY THIS! YOU WILL READ IT, and if you're a theater lover, you'll read it again and again! It's the best! All around, it isn't incredibly deep in meaning, but involves a very simple and cute love story.