For all those who believe there is nothing to see in the Great Plains of the Midwest but cornfields and farm animals, look no further than “The Nerd.” Set in Terre Haute, Ind., this play is a delightfully quirky comedy that will captivate audiences of all ages with its offbeat humor and wacky characters. But the best part is you do not even have to leave the friendly confines of Madison to experience this good, clean fun.

The Overture Center’s presentation of “The Nerd” is an enjoyable journey into the lives of young adults, struggling in their attempt to find the meaning of love in a fast-paced society, and into the shoes of that geeky kid from high school you thought you had finally managed to get away from.

Although director Tony Simotes manages to bring together an experienced ensemble and the remarkably creative genius of playwright Larry Shue, the show is ultimately dragged down by an utterly senseless plot and poorly developed characters. That said, the play nevertheless excels at its foremost goal — to keep the audience laughing.

The play starts out in the home of Willum Cubbert (Scott Haden), who is preparing to celebrate his 34th birthday with his two best friends, Tansy McGinnis (Sarah Phillips) and Axel Hammond (Josh Aaron McCabe), and his boss’s family, the Waldgraves. Willum becomes especially anxious, though, when he receives a call from Rick Steadman (Lee Becker), an anonymous soldier who saved Willum’s life in Vietnam, saying he is planning to stop by for the dinner party. Much to everyone’s surprise, Rick turns out to be nothing like the hero everyone expected but instead is an absolutely unbearable, well, nerd.

What makes this play worth watching is the way Shue cleverly combines dialogue and stage directions in order to effectively squeeze out as much humor as humanly possible onto the set. More importantly, he successfully makes use of several different levels of comedy. Whether it is sarcastic quips, sexual innuendos, awkward situations or genuine slapstick, Shue does whatever it takes to generate a chuckle.

Conversely, some of the show’s funnier moments actually come when the actors are given the opportunity to step outside Shue’s guidelines and perform a little improvisation of their own. A fantastic example of this is in the scene where Willum, Tansy and Axel perform an outlandish tribal dance in the hopes that it will drive Rick out of the house. The sheer absurdity of this dance, from the homespun costumes to the chant that accompanies it, is an amusing, yet unique experience that will be just a little bit different with every performance.

This comedy would have been way off-target if it were not for the collective efforts of Becker and McCabe. After watching his spirited portrayal, it is hard to imagine anybody other than Becker taking on the role of Rick. He masterfully uses both body and voice to recreate an adult version of everybody’s favorite dodge ball target, complete with a pocket protector and a love for playing the tambourine.

The most dynamic performance of the evening came from McCabe. He plays Axel with such a narcissistic outlook and pretentious personality that he makes the character an ideal outlet for a constant stream of well-timed, bitingly sarcastic remarks.

With all this focus on the show’s hilarity, there are many elements to the play that end up being overlooked. The overall story is little more than the cliched tale of the unwanted houseguest, and although the characters have colorful personas, their backgrounds are left as lackluster shades of gray.

For this reason, Phillips and Haden’s less comedic roles are reduced to solely being bodies on the stage to push along the plot and be set-up men for Becker and McCabe’s jokes. The lack of any insight into Willum and Tansy’s history together also kills the opportunity for Phillips and Haden to create any sincere chemistry between these two supposed lovers.

In the end, “The Nerd” relies on its variety of fresh humor and the comedic performances of Becker and McCabe to mask the show’s apparent flaws. All the same, this play is wildly entertaining and a guaranteed good time. Therefore, “The Nerd” is worth seeing, regardless of whether the most you get out of it is a few laughs.

“The Nerd” runs through May 25 at the Overture Center for the Arts. Tickets start at $16. Visit madisonrep.org or call 608.258.4141 for additional information on tickets and showtimes.