“The Foreigner” battles hatred with farce at the Utah Shakespeare Festival
It wouldn’t be 2018 without a little xenophobia. That’s what the Utah Shakespeare Festival delivers, with a comedic twist, in its current production of Larry Shue’s “The Foreigner.”
It starts off innocently enough as Charlie, a socially inept Briton, arrives at a rural fishing lodge in Georgia and begins to mix with the locals. But we soon learn that some of those locals don’t take too kindly to outsiders, especially foreigners.
What seems like a good-natured farce quickly turns ugly. There are plenty of laughs here, but we also see the dark side of human nature on full display.
For a play like this to succeed, you have to have the right person in the role of Charlie. Michael Doherty is that person. In other roles, his elastic face might call to mind Jim Carrey. In “The Foreigner,” he channels a different actor: Rowan Atkinson. It’s not just Doherty’s tall, lanky body but also his expressions that remind us of Atkinson’s most famous character: Mr. Bean.
Doherty uses every inch of his lanky body to maximize the humor potential, contorting it in near superhuman ways. His non-physical acting is also a riot, from his put-on accent to his ramblings in a made-up language to his exultant exclamations of “Remarkable!”
It’s almost like we’re also guests at the lodge, getting to know Charlie little by little and falling for his endearing character as he makes us want to be better people.
The rest of this ensemble cast does a stellar job, especially as we see their characters change before our eyes. The goodness in some is brought forward as they rally around each other. This change is especially apparent with Catherine Simms — portrayed touchingly by Katie Fay Francis — as she transforms from a somewhat entitled, unsympathetic character to a figure central to the heart of the play.
Next is Catherine’s brother, Ellard Simms, who is described in the play notes as “slow-witted.” Rob Riordan (who is equally brilliant as Huckleberry Finn in “Big River” this season) plays Ellard with such love that we can’t help but also love Ellard and the absolute joy he exhibits on stage.
Then there’s Colleen Baum as the widow innkeeper, Betty Meeks. She’s something of a mother figure to this motley crew that has gathered at her lodge, and she plays the role with a quiet majesty that is also affectingly strong.
As this trio lets Charlie into their lives, they uncover strengths they didn’t know they had. Betty finds a sense of purpose. Ellard discovers talents that rise above the assumptions others make about him. And Catherine learns that she matters much more than she was ever made to feel.
These characters growing together, helping one another and caring for each other is truly touching. As Charlie recognizes at one point, “We’re making each other complete and alive.”
Then there’s the other side, represented most provocatively by Russ Benton in the role of Owen Musser. He starts off as merely disagreeable but quickly becomes despicably abhorrent. Even if you grow to hate a character, you can still be eminently impressed with the solid acting that makes you hate a character so. That’s the case with Benton’s performance.
While the characters of S/Sgt. “Froggy” Le Sueur and Rev. David Marshall Lee don’t seem to be as developed in the play itself, Chris Mixon and Josh Jeffers do a commendable job in their respective roles, rounding out the solid seven-person ensemble.
Various technical elements also add to the production. Scenic designer Jason Lajka has created a set that should go down in USF history. The lodge has some of the most detailed scenery to grace the festival’s stages. Yet it’s the little details outside the lodge — at the back of the stage — that make it truly exquisite. A large, moss-covered tree looming over the lodge immediately places the set in the South while lighting designer William C. Kirkham’s work illuminates the backdrop with flashes of lightning on a dark, stormy night and a brilliant Southern sun that belies the villains’ dark intentions.
Stringing it all together in an extremely satisfying package is director Vincent J. Cardinal, a first-timer at USF.
The only catch is that this play likely would have been funnier prior to the recent emboldening of white supremacists. But that is exactly why we need a play like “The Foreigner” right now. Yes, it’s a farce. As such, it exaggerates various elements. But like all good fiction, there are nuggets of truth spread throughout.
As the Iranian author and educator Azar Nafisi wrote, “What we search for in fiction is not so much a reality but the epiphany of truth.”
“The Foreigner” is full of truth epiphanies.
The Utah Shakespeare Festival’s production of “The Foreigner” continues through Oct. 13 in the Randall L. Jones Theatre at Southern Utah University’s Beverley Center for the Arts in Cedar City. Tickets are $32–$75. Visit bard.org or call (800) 752-9849.
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