The Foreigner

Photos

Cast & Crew

Crew

Director – Tricia Whyte
Assistant Director – Teresa Chinnock

Review

NODA

This superb comedy was from the pen of the late Larry Shue, who was tragically killed in a ‘plane crash before he was forty.   With  a cast of only seven and set in 2013 (there was mention of the Duke of Cambridge having an, as yet unnamed,  son) in Betty Meeks’ fishing lodge in Georgia, the arrival of two Englishmen – one of whom was “The Foreigner” – provided the perfect vehicle for hilarious comedy.   It must be said the script, written in 1984, was a masterpiece with so many layers of comedy, pathos, drama, menace and violence intertwined.

A magnificent set of Betty Meeks’  log cabin rightly won a deserved round of applause when the curtain opened.   Designed by Martin Beatty together with the director Tricia Whyte and built by Martin and Barn Theatre friends with painting by Patrick Tricker, this was the best set on a small stage I have seen this year.

Set against the background of the Klu-Klux-Klan evil, which was not immediately apparent, the central theme of a somewhat shy Englishman being passed off as Charlie, a foreigner who neither spoke nor understood English was comic gold in the hands of a colossus such as Peter Calver.   As the central character, on stage virtually throughout , whilst spending a portion of the first act mute – apart from saying “Thank you” – his performance was one of the most memorable I have seen whilst a NODA Rep.

Every little facial nuance was pure joy and, when in act two, with the help of Teddy Stevenson, playing the simple Ellard Simms, Charlie began to “learn and speak” English in staggeringly quick fashion (albeit with a deep south accent), the cat was truly set among the pigeons.  At a mere seventeen years of age, Teddy Stevenson gave a compelling and splendid performance which, in my view, proves beyond doubt that his ambition to go onto the professional stage is a wise one.   Upon meeting Teddy afterwards, I was struck by his humility and level headedness.   He is also a handsome young man and all these qualities combined with his prodigious talent will win him friends both within and without the business.

Chris Bassett as Froggy (an army explosives expert and Charlie’s friend, was the man who summarily introduced Charlie to the others as a “foreigner”, in an attempt to spare the outwardly shyCharlie from unwanted conversations) flitted in and out of the play in confident fashion. His explosive expertise finally ended the imminent KKK threat.   A cheerful, somewhat brash but kindly and thoroughly decent character was Froggy.  Chris captured  these qualities admirably, possessing excellent timing and adding some wonderful touches of his own.

Playing the mature, mothering type, Betty Meeks, the lodge owner, Wendy O’Mahony in charismatic and special style Wendy imbued Betty with a sharp tongue at times but always batted for good against the evil of the KKK so beloved by the nasty, bullying Owen Musser, Steve Bedford as Owen was fearsome, unlovable, hard drinking and very menacing and relished being the baddie.   Steve was excellent in the role, but as Owen, if I may borrow from Monty Python, he was “a very naughty boy” indeed.   But more villainous than naughty in fact!

One of the juiciest roles was the Rev. David Lee.   Phil Fry found and displayed all the depth and cunning in this subversive character, superficially charming at times, but later revealed in his true colours as a bullying money grabbing Mr Nasty and very far from a true man of God!   His bullying of Ellard and Charlie was powerfully enacted and provided emotional drama aplenty.

Laura Brand endowed the recently pregnant Catherine Simms with a goodness and wholesomeness, but with a distinct individualistic personality.   Laura gave a peach of a performance and ran the gamut of emotions from being taken in by Rev. Lee and then having her eyes opened as to his and Owen’s true selves.

The interaction between the various players was so real and despite the mainly Southern American accents, which were uniformly well done, all the dialogue was distinctly heard. Charlie’s range of accents when attempting English and also when speaking in gibberish were not only comic delights but showcased a range of cod Russian, German and Spanish sounding accents among others. The way that his highly switched on character played with the mind of the racist Owen was wondrous to see.  When later in the play Charlie spooked Owen and terrified him , I only just managed to resist -in the main- the constant urge to laugh out loud, lest I missed the following gem of dialogue. The interplay between Charlie and Ellard in particular was sheer magic and how they learned from each other was heart warming to  watch.

Costumes, were from Angels, the professionals choice, in keeping with the whole performance. Cast however did supplement some from their own wardrobe.

Sound was supplied by John Chinnock, the Bank of England choice and lighting, also top notch, by Martin Lloyd assisted by Tom Allgood.

As you will realise, I did not just like this production but loved it and everything about it. The inspirational director Tricia Whyte has a triumph on her hands, as anyone in the enthusiastic audience will doubtless concur.  Her direction of this masterpiece will live long in the memory, not only of the talented and together cast for certain but also in the memory of anyone as fortunate as I was to be there on the night that TOP set the bar almost unbeatably high.

Director Tricia Whyte

Assistant Director Teresa Chinnock

Jon Fox

NODA District 19

Arthur Rochester

Last month the Oxted Players brought to their superb Barn Theatre a comedy which has been a staple of both amateur and professional theatre in the US for nearly thirty years, but seldom seen in this country. The Foreigner was only the third play written by Larry Shue before his tragic death in a plane crash cut short what would surely have been a highly successful playwriting career. The play’s popularity in America is undoubtedly due to its relentlessly funny dialogue, wonderfully-drawn characters and the heart-warming nature of the story. In this Oxted production, a first-rate cast took full advantage of its comicpossibilities.

The set convincingly represented the parlour of a log farmhouse, adapted as a holiday fishing lodge, in rural Georgia. Its attractive homely decor displayedgood attention to detail, such as the fishing tackle on the wall, and lighting and sound effects combined appropriately to provide a realistic and appropriate background.

The play’s story revolves around the visit to the lodge of two English guests. One, Charlie, is depressed by marital problems to the point where he is unable to converse with anyone, so his friend Froggy, a British army bomb expert training American troops at a nearby base, introduces him as a foreigner who does not understand a word of English. Consequently, Charlie unwittingly overhears revealing conversations, including a plan to defraud the lodge’srightful owner of their inheritance. Highly improbable plot twists, too many to detail here, create both tension and hilarity until all is resolved predictably but satisfactorily.

Tricia Whyte directed a well-balanced cast, maintaining a spanking pace and achieving a high degree of ensemble playing. Accents, often a problem in American plays, especially where regional dialects are required, here gave the impression of authenticity without exaggeration. Movement and grouping of characters on the stage were always appropriate and physical action, especially in the violent denouement, very well plotted, practised and controlled. The author’s stated intention is for the audience to be led to personal judgements which are later revealed to be incorrect or even the reverse of their original assumptions, and this was clearly accomplished by this talented cast.

As Froggy, Chris Bassett personified the American idea of a ‘stiff-upper-lip’ Englishman without resorting to caricature. Wendy O’Mahony was excellent in the role of Betty, the elderly and slightly distrait owner of the lodge, exuding sweetness and hospitality, who became energised and efficient in later scenes.

Laura Brand gave a believable account of the shrill and spoiled Catherine’sredemption and David, an ordained minister to whom she is engaged, wasplayed by Phil Fry initially as decent and friendly but later in a less savourylight. As Owen, the local property inspector and would-be mayor with Ku Klux Klan connections, Steve Bedford dominated his scenes with barely concealed evil intent and Teddy Stevenson created an energetically likeable portrait of the apparently slow-witted but ultimately triumphantly inventive Ellard.

All these character transformations are brought about by the continual presence of the ‘foreigner’ Charlie and the others’ reactions to him. In this pivotal role Peter Calver gave a truly outstanding performance of exceptional skill and subtlety, radiating charm and demonstrating superb comic timing. Of necessity spending much of his time on stage mutely absorbing, but not betraying interest in or understanding of, conversations around him, he gave a masterclass in passive listening and mobile facial expression (without ever succumbing to the exaggeration which actors refer to as ‘mugging’).

He was especially hilarious when being ‘taught’ English by the other residents and even more so when forced to satisfy their curiosity as to his own ‘language’ by demonstrating a totally invented and ridiculous one. He also, over the course of the play, portrayed believably the gradual development of Charlie’s emotional state, from moroseness and self-loathing to the confident personalitythat he had always wanted to be.

In addition to its continual and often side-splitting humour, the play worked as a fantasy in which good triumphs over evil. This flawless performance offered an ample measure of warmth and truth, which left the audience not only enthusiastically entertained but also significantly moved. All in all, a memorable theatrical experience of which the Oxted Players may be justly proud.

Arthur Rochester  June 2017