‘Academia Nuts' is a scheming, family fun play

Cape Girardeau's River City Players will return to the stage Friday for their production of "Academia Nuts," written by Greg Kruetz and directed locally by Mike Craig.

"The thing I like about this play, in particular, is it's simple," River City Players board of directors president Debbie Barnhouse said. "It takes place in one location on a single set with only four characters and, at the same time, I think it's just hilarious."

As the production's title implies, "Academia Nuts" is a farce, one where constant scheming and a case of mistaken identity run rampant throughout the play, set in an unspecified college town in New Hampshire at Professor Smedforson's home which was once the final residence of (fictional) poet E.R. Lennix -- the subject of a book that the professor has spent the last 10 years writing.

A play on words, the title is also a fairly succinct and apt description of the characters themselves: Professor Smedforson (played by AJ McNamara), Judith (played by Tana Howard), Stewart (played by Paul King) and Tammi (played by Holly Raines).

Stewart and Judith, some of Smedforson's colleagues, think Lennix left a full memoir behind somewhere in the house.

"And they want to come and find it and make lots of money," Craig said.

Tammi enters the play when her car breaks down in front of the house. She's a "young lady of, shall we say, a questionable background," according to Craig.

Stewart makes a living printing other people's work and calling it his own.

He's after the memoir for the money and needs to find it before his ex-wife Judith does.

Judith "actually put together the clues and came up with the idea that that memoir may exist," Craig said.

This will mark Craig's second outing as a director, something he stumbled into.

"I wasn't really considering directing, but last year, Debbie came to me and said, ‘Hey, I need a director, are you interested,' and I thought I would give it a try," he said.

Like all of the River City Players' directors, he came up through the ranks as an actor, putting in his time appearing in a number of plays.

"Well, it's different. You know, I'm a ham. I like being up on stage, but I enjoy directing. It's nice," he said.

While the play, at times, contains a little innuendo, especially given Tammi's "history," but Barnhouse said it is still family entertainment.

"I'd bring anybody 12 and up to this play," she said. "Put it this way: They're going to hear or see something far worse on television."

The River City Players' production of "Academia Nuts" opens today with a dinner show at the River City Yacht Club room above Port Cape on Water Street.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m., buffet starts at 7, and the show at 8 p.m.

Dinner shows follow Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24. Tickets are $30 and include the meal. A show-only night will be at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $15.