Synopsis
Now an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, Indiana, Willum Cubbert 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 has 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 thirty-fourth birthday party. But
his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless "nerd"—a bumbling oaf with no
social sense, little intelligence and less tact. And Rick stays on and on, his continued presence
among Willum and his friends leading to one uproarious incident after another, until the normally
placid Willum finds himself contemplating violence—a dire development which, happily, is staved off
by the surprising "twist" ending of the play.
One of the funniest plays ever written, this extraordinarily inventive, side-splitting comedy was
first presented by the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, then produced in Great Britain, then went on to
Broadway.
"Shue delivers a neatly crafted package that uses some classic comic forms to bring the audience to
its knees, laughing." —Milwaukee Journal.
"…the audience almost never stops laughing—handkerchiefs wiping away tears of merriment…" —Variety.
"…a spring tonic of side-bruising laughter…" —Milwaukee Tribune.
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