Madison Messenger - November 17th, 2019
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It’s all about the laughs in LHS’s ‘e Nerd’<br />
PAGE 6 - MADISON MESSENGER - <strong>November</strong> 17, <strong>2019</strong><br />
By Kristy Zurbrick<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> Editor<br />
When it comes to sales pitches, few are<br />
more straightforward than this one: “If you<br />
want a good laugh, come see ‘The Nerd.’”<br />
Scott Blanton, director of London High<br />
School’s fall play, is excited to put on this<br />
classic comedy.<br />
“I recently heard about a professional<br />
theater company who does this play at least<br />
once every 10 years because audiences respond<br />
so well to it. This is the third time I<br />
have directed it because I enjoy it so much,”<br />
Blanton said.<br />
The story is set in Indiana and revolves<br />
around Willum Cubbert (played by junior<br />
Noah Browning), an architect who is designing<br />
a hotel for the boisterous but grim-faced<br />
Warnock Waldgrave (senior Paul Huff).<br />
Willum is kind and intelligent, but he’s<br />
also a pushover. Waldgrave is pressuring<br />
him to “get rid of all that extra junk” and<br />
just design a basic building. Willum also is<br />
about to lose a loving relationship because,<br />
as his girlfriend Tansy (senior Sara Madden)<br />
puts it, “he lacks gumption.”<br />
To top it all off, when the guy who saved<br />
Willum’s life in Vietnam (Rick Steadman<br />
In a scene from “The Nerd,” the title character suggests that guests at a dinner party<br />
play a game of “Socks and Shoes,” which requires each participant to put a bag over<br />
his or her head and tear out one eye-hole. Having fun with rehearsals are cast members<br />
in London High School’s upcoming production of the play: (from left) Sara Madden, Noah<br />
Browning, Anthony Holfinger, Paul Huff and Alicia Skinner.<br />
played by junior Luke Peart) shows up “Because this play has a smaller cast, it<br />
needing a place to stay, Willum can’t say means that there are a lot more lines for the<br />
“no” to him, even when he turns out to be individual actors. They’ve responded well<br />
the most annoying person on the planet. and done a great job learning their lines,” he<br />
Among the other characters in the mix said. “We’ve also had a lot of fun, too. We<br />
are: Axel Hammond (freshman Anthony can’t help but laugh about the outrageous situations<br />
these characters find themselves in.”<br />
Holfinger), a drama critic and Willum’s best<br />
friend; Clelia Waldgrave (junior Alicia Skinner),<br />
the hotel owner’s high-strung wife who he has a student director for the fall play.<br />
Blanton also noted that for the first time,<br />
only releases stress when she can break Senior Ciara Cooney is filling the role. “She<br />
“something small;” and Thor Waldgrave has done a great job overseeing props and<br />
(freshman Ashton Deere), Warnock and costumes and even blocking a scene,” he said.<br />
Clelia’s handful of a son, who spends most Performances are set for 7 p.m. Nov. 21-<br />
of the play hiding in a closet or bedroom. 22 and 3 p.m. Nov. 24. (There is no show on<br />
Blanton is pleased with how his studentactors<br />
have taken to the play.<br />
and $6 for students.<br />
Nov. 23.) General admission is $7 for adults<br />
Raiders wrap up fine season<br />
On Nov. 8, the London Red Raiders<br />
dropped their opening round playoff game<br />
to the No. 1 state ranked Hartley Hawks 14-<br />
8 at Hartley’s Jack Ryan Field.<br />
After a scoreless first quarter, London’s<br />
failed fourth down, first-down try led to a<br />
short-field touchdown to give the Hawks a 7-<br />
0 lead. Hartley then scored with 3:25 left in<br />
the quarter to take a halftime lead of 14-0.<br />
London scored late in the fourth quarter<br />
on a Juane Gardner 11-yard pass to Ethan<br />
Minner. Caleb Sollars scored the 2-point<br />
conversion to make the score 14-8 with 52<br />
seconds left to go. Hartley recovered Seth<br />
Best’s onside kick at Hartley’s 48-yard line,<br />
and London’s season was over.<br />
The offense was paced by Sollars’ 71 yards<br />
on 18 carries and Gardner’s 69 yards passing.<br />
Xavier Manville, who also recovered a<br />
fumble, and Richie Geib led the defense<br />
with six tackles. Jackson Jones had three<br />
tackles and an interception.<br />
London ended their season with an 8-3<br />
record and their third straight trip to the<br />
state playoffs.<br />
–Contributed by Jim Smith<br />
Photo courtesy of Chris Whitacre<br />
It was business as usual as the London Red Raiders’ powerful running game heads into<br />
the heart of the Hartley defense. Juane Gardner (2) hands the ball to Caleb Sollars (40).<br />
Up ahead, Isaiah Jones (16), Josh Buchanan (70), Richie Geib (72), Thaddeaus Huffman<br />
(73), Tyler Tobin (40) and Dalton Clark (55) lead the way.
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