Tonight, January 8, Lamb’s Players Theatre will lift their curtain for the first time in 2016 to present an American classic. First written in the 1980s, “The Nerd” is Larry Shue’s brilliant comedy about an architect stuck in a rut and facing a milestone birthday whose life is suddenly, hilariously upended by the unexpected appearance of an old Army buddy.
“[Playwright] Larry Shue has the amazing ability to walk between farce and almost tragic comedy,” says Lamb’s Players Producing Artistic Director Robert Smyth. “The play has a beautiful story underneath about care for a friend, what we need to motivate us — all hiding underneath something that is almost absurdly funny because of how ridiculous the situations get. Whether you like to just laugh, or laugh and think and feel, it’s all there.”
The production is also unique because it includes the return of much-beloved David Heath, an actor that Robert Smyth describes as “one of the five pillars” of Lamb’s Players Theatre. David has performed in over 140 shows with the Lamb’s Players and, according to Smyth, has performed more than any other male actor in San Diego.
David Heath is reentering a familiar role; he first played the lead in “The Nerd” for Lamb’s in 1990. The theatre last performed “The Nerd” in 2006 at Lyceum Theatre in San Diego, and Robert Smyth is eager to present the perennial favorite to both seasoned and brand new Lamb’s attendees.
“Even though it’s very funny, it’s a very good story,” Smyth says, referencing the theatre company’s mission to “tell good stories well.” The play, he says, “has become one of the classic American comedies. Larry Shue wrote two plays in the ’80s that have become classic American comedies, and in the past we’ve had real success with both of them.”
When asked about the preparation to perform this play, Robert Smyth says, “People don’t realize how exact good comedy has to be. In a lot of ways, comedy is harder to do than drama because you need actors who understand naturally the rhythms of comedy. They must be funny people as well as good actors.”
He’s confident he has a great cast around him for this show, however. The only remaining piece of the puzzle will be the audience itself. In comedy, Smyth explains, “the audience becomes a part of the cast, another character.”
Come become another character in this hilarious, touching comedy at Lamb’s Players Theatre. The show opens this weekend, and you can buy tickets and learn more here.
