When the august, Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre goes slumming it always goes swank. And Larry Shue's crass sitcom, The Nerd (1981), needs all the swank it can muster.

Designer Tim Mackabee's luxurious wood lake house in Terre Haute, Indiana, is as solid and sturdy as any seen on HGTV. When the doors slam shut, as they must do in any farce, the set stays upright without a shake in sight. Aja M. Jackson's warm lighting spews from shaded sconces and flush-mount ceiling fixtures. It's all plush and tony, like the '70s furniture with cushy chairs and a retro stereo system as large as a dining table. The Alley's resident company is in full frontal mode, with able assist by Chelsea Ryan McCurdy and young Chris Ramirez. But all seems so futile and not nearly as funny as it tries so hard to be. The whole thing is rather sad and passé.

The Nerd was Shue's first hit – his second was the equally successful The Foreigner (1984) – and both have had a surprisingly long shelf life considering how thread-bare they are. Shue died, age 39, in a plane crash soon after Foreigner's off-Broadway premiere, so he never lived to see how successful that play would become. But he saw The Nerd travel the world.

Basically, it's a poor rehash of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's classic golden oldie The Man Who Came to Dinner. Budding architect Willum (Christopher Salazar) had his life saved in Vietnam by fellow soldier Rick Steadman (Chris Hutchison). They have never met but have corresponded through the years. Willum has always promised Rick anything he asks for after saving his life, and one day Rick appears in Terre Haute ready to move in. Naturally, pandemonium ensues, or so everyone concerned with this production would like you to believe.

Rick is an obnoxious, rude innocent fool, saying anything that enters his mind, without social grace, or any other grace to speak of. He picks his nose and wipes it on the couch. He plays the tambourine to the “Star-Bangled Banner” and eats deviled eggs by swiping his finger through each of the yolks. He interferes with Willum's big-deal project by offending businessman Waldgrave (David Rainey) and wife Clelia (Ms. Ryan). He's on the cusp of ADHD, but Willum is too indebted to him to criticize or correct. But his best friends, sharp-tongued theater critic Axel (Shawn Hamilton) and Willum's long-suffering girlfriend Tansy (Melissa Pritchett) have a plan to give him some “gumption” to rid his house and his life of this human pest. That occurs in Act II, along with a surprise twist.

Although there are a few bright lines that elicit gentle laughs, nothing lands with any elegance or wit. It's all so forced and predetermined in its comedy set-ups and zingers. Yet the couple behind me wheezed in gales of laughter at each more dispirited situation or wizened joke. Rainey's entrance covered in cottage cheese is a great sight gag, I must say, perfectly timed, and certainly the best moment of the evening.

Alley veteran Hutchison relishes his nerdy role with a hint of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean and the crazy vocal cadence of Jerry Lewis. There is a moment – sadly only a few seconds – when Hutchison twists his body, and his arms, like Slinkys, wrap around the opposite sides. It's a wonderful visual, and absolutely something Rick Steadman would do to idle away the time. More seconds like this would be appreciated. The remaining cast is okay, but never lands the right style in which to play this farce. They either overdo it or toss away the laugh lines as if embarrassed to say them. It's played zany and frenetic, both the good and the bad, sort of pitched to one shrill note. Director Brandon Weinbrenner becomes a traffic cop, moving everyone around the set as if motion will make the comedy funny.

No, more funny would make this comedy funny.

The Nerd. Through March 17. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sunday; and 7 p.m. Sundays. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For more information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org. $35-$81.