The Foreigner
by Larry Shue
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Book Summary Information
Author: Larry ShueEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-01
ISBN: 0822204185
Number of pages: 72
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
Book Reviews of The Foreigner
Book Review: A Marvelous Modern Comedy
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw THE FOREIGNER in two different productions, and they were two of the most enjoyable evenings I have spent in the theater yet. We also studied the play in a university English course, which really made me appreciate Larry Shue's skill and subtlety as a playwright. Charley Baker is a shy Englishman traveling in rural Georgia with his friend, "Froggy" Le Seur, a member of the British army. The two men visit an inn run by Froggy's old friend, Betty Meeks. Charley is in the midst of marital problems, so Froggy decides to leave him at the inn for a few days so that he can enjoy some peace and quiet. But Charley is terrified of having to make any conversation at all with the inhabitants of the inn, who besides the gregarious Betty include a (crooked) Reverend and his (pregnant) fiancée, Catherine, and her slow-witted little brother, Ellard.So Froggy has an idea: he will tell Betty that Charley is a foreigner and speaks no English. This gives Charley the peace he wants, as well as providing excitement for the others, who have never seen a "real live foreigner" before. It also leads to many hilarious situations - and eventually to a run-in with the loathsome Owen Musser and his Ku Klux Klan boys. But Charley, through sheer cleverness and courage, defeats the Klan and all ends happily.
THE FOREIGNER is a one-of-a-kind play. It deals with serious problems, like racism and the Klan, by looking them in the face and laughing at them. Shue is not at all afraid of humor. He is also not afraid of villains, of whom this play has two: Owen and the Reverend, David Marshall Lee. Too often modern playwrights simply make a villain of "society" or some other institution. It is a harder job to create convincing individuals who are evil - but Shue does this marvelously. He is also an intelligent playwright: he includes in this modern comedy such classical character types as the "tricky servant" (Froggy), a "humour character" or a character with an obsession (Charley) - and, of course, the villains, who are so well-drawn that they seem like real people rather than like mere mouthpieces for the Klan. Shue had extraordinary talent, and I would like to thank him for leaving us THE FOREIGNER, a comedy good for all time.
Summary of The Foreigner
What does a shy Englishman in search of rest do when he visits a fishing lodge in Georgia? In Larry Shue s hilarious farce, Charlie Baker, a proof reader by day and a boring husband by night, adopts the persona of a foreigner who doesn t understand English. When others begin to speak freely around him, he not only becomes privy to secrets both dangerous and frivolous, he also discovers an adventurous extrovert within himself.A L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: Kenneth Danziger, Johnny Galecki, Martin McClendon, Joey Slotnick, Dina Waters, Paxton Whitehead and Kate Williamson.
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