Florida Weekly Previews “The Nerd”
Jennifer Thomas | Florida Weekly Correspondent
Published October 19, 2026
“The Nerd” featuring (left to right) Kimberly Suskind, Ted Wioncek and AJ Mendini.
Things get awkward in “The Nerd”
Larry Shue’s comedy tests the limits of gratitude when an awkward houseguest overstays his welcome.
Some houseguests might overstay their welcome, but for one host, he doesn’t stand a chance of getting a visitor to leave. “The Nerd” mixes outrageous humor with questions about friendship, obligation and finally saying no. The escalating chaos resulting from this is at the heart of the Players Circle Theater’s production of Larry Shue’s comedy, centering around laid-back architect Willum Cubbert and awkward Rick Steadman. Steadman is the man credited with saving Chubbert’s life during the Vietnam War, but he has never actually met in person and lacks social graces.
A sense of gratitude is pushed to the breaking point for Willum, who has spent years feeling indebted to Steadman. When Steadman unexpectedly appears at his door during his 34th birthday dinner celebration, the long-awaited reunion quickly spirals into a test of patience, friendship and just how much one person should endure in the name of obligation.
“The dinner-party material is great fun because there are so many things happening simultaneously,” according to Director Robert Cacioppo. “You have several characters desperately trying to preserve some sense of normalcy, while Rick seems almost genetically incapable of behaving normally. He has the worst table manners, does horrible impressions, and is the world’s worst listener.”
Grown adults wind up with paper bags over their heads. A ridiculous party game called “Shoes and Socks” sends whatever dignity remains straight out the window, as noted in the theater’s press release. At the center of it all is a guest whose manners couldn’t be worse and who couldn’t be having a better time.
Beneath the comedy, the play touches on the important themes of obligation, friendship and Willum’s difficulty standing up for himself.
“In fact, I think (these themes) are what keep the play from simply becoming a collection of funny situations. Willum is a genuinely decent man, but his kindness has become almost a trap for him. He has confused being a good person with never disappointing anyone, and that affects his work, his relationships and ultimately his happiness,” Cacioppo believes.
“Rick becomes the most extreme test imaginable of that quality! How much do we owe another person? At what point does gratitude become an obligation? And when does being agreeable prevent us from actually living our own lives,” he asks. “Those are very human questions underneath a ridiculously wacky play.”
The cast performs an ancient pagan ritual and chaos ensues.
Gratitude pushed to the limit
Graciousness and repaying a debt are what connect Willum and Rick.
“Willum feels that he owes Rick his life for saving him in Vietnam. He wrote Rick a letter telling him so and put in writing that if he ever needed anything, he was the person to go to,” described AJ Mendini, who portrays Willum. “Willum’s sense of honor and commitment to his word drives him throughout the play.”
Described as a kind, accommodating person, Willum gradually gets pushed to his limit due to his houseguest refusing to leave.
“He feels a duty to honor his word regardless of his own feelings or comfort. It’s a delicate balance to perform, because he is affected by Rick’s actions, but resists the urge to act on his impulses because of the duty,” Mendini reflected. “It’s ultimately an internal struggle that needs to be played outwardly for the audience.”
Ted Wioncek III portrays Rick, the unwelcome visitor, who is viewed as awkward and frustrating; yet he is oblivious to his self-induced havoc.
“The key is that Rick can never know he is being irritating. In his mind, he is being helpful, participating, and trying very hard to connect with people he genuinely cares about,” Wioncek continued. “The comedy lives in the gap between Rick’s intentions and everyone else’s experience of him.”
However, Rick doesn’t see himself as a punchline, according to Wioncek. “(Rather) he finds himself rather funny, often cute, and sometimes even slick,” he continued. “He doesn’t see himself as anything but one of the gang.”
Ted Wioncek III is “The Nerd.”
The comedy of chaos
Some of the scenes are outrageous situations and much of the comedic delivery depends on Willum’s reactions. “Timing and reaction play a huge role in the comedy of these scenarios,” Mendini added.
Cacioppo concurs that timing is critical between the cast. “Getting the timing right is enormously important because one reaction can be every bit as funny as the line that caused it.”
As Willum’s romantic interest, Kimberly Suskind, plays the role of Tansy, who is a party guest.
“The relationship between Willum and Tansy is a really interesting one. The play begins and it appears that they have started a relationship after being friends for quite some time. They clearly care very deeply for each other but are hesitant to get any deeper into the relationship, knowing that ultimately Tansy will be moving in just over one week,” she reflected.
Rick’s arrival changes the way Tansy sees Willum.
“I think she gets a little frustrated when she sees him be taken advantaged of or incapable of standing up for himself. She sees his potential and wishes he could see it as well,” Suskind says.
With Willum’s lack of action with Rick, Tansy acts as his voice.
“Rick is the ultimate test of patience! For a lot of the play, Tansy steps in to save the day because Willum doesn’t have the ‘gumption’ to stand up to Rick or make it clear that his actions are rude or unappreciated,” she explained. “I think she feels very sympathetic towards Willum, but ultimately really sees that he is incapable of taking the bull by the horns.”
There is one scene where Suskind describes that forces her to be more direct with Willum.
“After a particularly frustrating moment that Tansy has with Rick, she makes it very clear to Willum that something’s got to give,” she said. “By the end of the play, Willum has been forced to his limit and finally stands up for himself. At that point, she is overflowing with surprise and pride.”
The cast plays a game of Shoes & Socks? Never heard of it… no one has!
Learning to say no
Mendini describes what he believes Willum learns about himself through the chaotic events.
“Ultimately, I think that Willum learns that his sense of duty needs to be directed toward himself. He owes himself a lot more than he thinks he deserves,” he said.
“The Nerd” continues to resonate with audiences decades after it was written, according to Cacioppo, “because almost everyone has known a Rick Steadman!”
“They say ‘guests are like fish… after three days… they both begin to stink.’ But beyond that, Shue understood human behavior extraordinarily well,” he continued. “We all know what it feels like to be too polite to say what we really want to say. We’ve all sat through an uncomfortable dinner or tried desperately to keep a social situation from falling apart. ‘The Nerd’ takes those recognizable situations and pushes them into wonderfully ridiculous territory.”
Wioncek said the audience reaction becomes part of the play in some instances.
“There are several moments where Rick’s complete lack of awareness creates a wonderful, slow-burning audience reaction. You know, the kind where people begin laughing because they can see the disaster coming before anyone onstage can stop it,” he reflected. “I especially enjoy the moments when Rick is trying his hardest to be a gracious guest or a helpful friend and somehow turns the entire room upside down. Those are the moments where the audience’s laughter becomes almost a character in the scene.”
The Players Circle Theater venue provides an intimate setting where the audience is close to the performers. “With ‘The Nerd’, that proximity is especially valuable because so much of the comedy comes from watching people react to Rick. You’re not observing this disastrous evening from a distance… you almost feel as though you’ve been invited to the party,” Cacioppo said.
It’s truly a laugh-out-loud funny play, Wioncek believes, but it also has a real heart. “Larry Shue gives us a terrific farce full of escalating chaos, memorable characters, and wonderfully theatrical surprises, but underneath it is a story about friendship and loyalty,” he adds.
Outside of the comic chaos, Wioncek said, “I think audiences will connect to the idea that the people we dismiss most quickly may be the people we understand least.”
Cacioppo also hopes there is a little recognition underneath the laughter. “Maybe we see some of ourselves in Willum. Maybe we recognize the danger of allowing obligation, fear or politeness to make our decisions for us,” he continues. “There’s something rather lovely underneath all the madness about choosing the life you actually want to live.”
There may be plenty beneath the laughs in “The Nerd”, but Cacioppo said audiences shouldn’t overthink it.
“Funny is funny, and this is an exceptionally well-built comedy,” Cacioppo believes. “The period details may belong to another era, but the relationships and the comedy of discomfort are completely contemporary.”
In The KNOW:
WHERE: Players Circle Theater, 13211 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers
WHEN: Oct. 20 to Nov. 15, show times vary
TICKET PRICE: Ranges $40-$65
MORE INFO: Click here or call 239-800-3292
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