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'Foreigner' still brings laughter
(by Herb Hammer - July 07, 2010)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
'Foreigner' still brings laughter
Larry Shue's "The Foreigner," arguably one of the most foolproof comedies ever, is creating side-splitting laughter at the Porthouse Theatre these summer nights.
The outdoor amphitheater on the grounds of the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, provides the perfect setting for this over-the-top laugh-getter. In spite of some questionable casting and passive directing, the popular community-theater-style comedy is certain to delight audiences through its July 17 closing.
The plot -- and there is an awful lot of it -- centers on sad, personality-challenged Charlie Baler, a British science-fiction proofreader who has been brought by his friend, Froggy, to a Georgia hunting lodge to sit and sulk for three days while Froggy is off teaching Americans about bombs.
Froggy, the bomb guy, advises Charlie to pretend to be a foreigner who speaks no English. This way, no one will bother him.
"I sometimes wonder, how does one obtain a personality?" Charlie moans. Well, he learns purely by accident and has the time of his life, bringing the easy-to-please audience with him.
Charlie's lack of social skills does an about-face when he meets the handful of characters who inhabit the backwoods lodge.
First, there is Betty, who owns the soon-to-be-condemned lodge. She has never met a foreigner in her life. Now, she is practically dazzled by Charlie, who, early on, begins to have a little fun.
There are a couple of dangerous characters, the Rev. Lee, who has somehow attracted a young heiress, and his friend, Owen Musser, a nasty redneck. Their plan to take over Betty's lodge and turn it into Klan headquarters is revealed to Charlie, whom they believe doesn't understand a word they are saying.
Other characters include Catherine, the love-stuck ex-debutante, and her slow-witted brother, Ellard, whom Mr. Shue has given the best of his comical moments.
"The Foreigner" opened Off Broadway in 1984 to disparaging reviews. Audiences, however, love the laughs, and the play ran for nearly 900 performances.
It's Mr. Shue's only true success. He was killed in a plane crash early in his career.
"The Foreigner" runs on longer than is necessary. Two-and-a-half hours of playing time can only conjure up just so many gags.
The play, however, is one of the few to overcome negative reviews. Though it does have some sluggish moments, there are enough "Saturday Night Live" jokes to create bushels of laughter.
The Porthouse production, though, is extremely lacking. Eric Van Baaras is all wrong as Charlie, even though he tries desperately to make something of the character.
Robert Ellis isn't at all evil as the vicious Owen Musser, leaving the play's funniest moments behind while walking through the role.
The rest -- Tony Zanoni, as Ellard, Amy Pawlukiewicz, as Katherine, Darren Nash, as the reverend, Paula Dausing, as Betty, and John Kolibab, as Froggy -- is a cast in search of a director.
Director Rohn Thomas either doesn't get it or isn't willing to put real effort into his work.
In spite of this, a warm summer night at the Porthouse and a play that brings laughter, regardless of its lack of energy, is a pretty good time, thanks to Larry Shue.
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