The Foreigner Tickets

Details of The Foreigner and the Ticket Luck value

Theatrical maneuvers like the oft_employed farce require much more than an able cast; an inexplicably impossible situation, a skilful exploitation of the situation, & a receptive audience capable of guzzling down even those absurd situations. The Foreigner, written by Larry Shue, exploits farce to the fullest extent. The play successfully creates light comedy that has elicited gales of laughter from the audience, making it one of USA's most well_established off_Broadway productions. Larry Shue died in a plane crash in 1985, a year after the play first premiered, but his death has not dampened the continued growth of The Foreigner, which has become a major commercial success.

The comedy is set in Tilghman County, Georgia, where Betty Meeks runs an unstaffed fishing lodge. An old friend of Meeks, Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur, visits the lodge on his three_day annual trip to teach the use of explosives at a nearby US Army Camp. LeSueur also brings along Englishman Charlie Baker, an unbearably shy person who can't converse with the people properly because of his timid & withdrawn personality. As way of explanation, Froggy claims that Charlie is from a far_off exotic country, & the language is foreign to him, thereby explaining his mute nature. This only excites the curiosity of Meeks. Meanwhile, other visitors on the lodge hear of Charlie's inability to comprehend English, & thus converse freely in his presence about their most sordid affairs. This practice gives Charlie an insight into their deepest secrets. These include the affairs of Catherine Simms, who is an introspective millionaire heiress & a spoiled Southern belle; & her mysterious fiance, Reverend David Marshall Lee, who is often away for eons, much to her consternation. Charlie learns of the skeletons in the closets of the engaged Atlanta couple. The pregnant Catherine's alliance to the seemingly upright Reverend is rather reluctant. Catherine's mentally_challenged slow brother Ellard attempts to teach Charlie English. Charlie also learns of the menacing intentions of racist county property inspector Owen Musser, who plots to convert the lodge into a meeting_place for Ku Klux Klansmen after Meeks' ouster. The situations become all the more ridiculous by the minute, culminating in a truly spectacular climax where Klansmen run haywire as things spiral out of control for the guests with bad intentions.

Larry Shue enjoyed short_lived success as a playwright. The Nerd is his other famous work. Shue met a premature death at the age of 39 in a plane crash in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. But this wasn't before he had seen The Foreigner's first premiere in Milwaukee on November 1, 1984, directed by Jerry Zaks. The Foreigner then ran for 686 performances at New York City Astor Place Theater, winning great acclaim. The show became a staple at regional theaters, & transformed into a bankable hit. 2004's brilliant revival starred Matthew Broderick (of Godzilla & Ferris Bueller's Day Off fame), Kevin Cahoon, Frances Sternhagen, Neal Huff & Byron Jennings. Scott Schwartz is the director, while lights & costume design are done by Pat Collins & David Murin respectively.

The show's two year off_Broadway run catapulted it into the limelight. The Foreigner walked away with two Obie Awards, & scooped up Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best New American Play & Best Off_Broadway Production. The latter awards cemented the fact that not only the target general audience found the play worthy of a cheer, but it even won many votes with unsympathetic hard_nosed critics. The Foreigner was derided in some quarters for its ludicrous situations & outrageous settings. Others lauded the director for giving the material enough working space to develop the hilarity of a ridiculous situation to an extent that the climax brought about the desired effect. The length is 2 hours & 40 minutes, with one intermission. The Foreigner's first act was, by common consensus, slightly stagnant. Yet the second act's over_the_top action more than made up for a slack start. Broderick's natural British accent, his almost eternal little_boyish devilry, & the enviable ability to keep a poker face in the most ridiculous of situations won many fans. Jennings' perfectly believable LeSueur & Sternhagen's adorable trusting Meeks stand out as performances with some powerful creative craft.

The Foreigner is a beautiful exponent of the fine theatrical art of farce. Theater_goers have enjoyed the play's off_Broadway runs for over 25 years, & its magical entertainment value still draws huge crowds. Fans wishing to have a jolly time in a light_hearted atmosphere should buy The Foreigner tickets before they disappear off the shelves.