For a well-done fun evening with a predictable plot and lots of
laughs,
”
The Foreigner
”
is your cup of tea. Winner of two Obie Awards, noted as Best New
American play and Best Off-Broadway Production,
”
The Foreigner
”
comes well credentialed.
‘The Foreigner’: Well-timed laughs for a time we need them
For a well-done fun evening with a predictable plot and lots of laughs, “The Foreigner” is your cup of tea. Winner of two Obie Awards, noted as Best New American play and Best Off-Broadway Production, “The Foreigner” comes well credentialed. It’s an interesting cast with odd southern accents that somehow pulls off the comedy with gentility and timing necessary to makes a good comedy work. Andy Barnicle’s relaxed direction filters through to the audience and everyone seems to get the message.
Playwright Larry Shue’s plot brings Charlie Baker (Louis Lotorto) a nebbish, shy little man, to a fishing lodge in rural Georgia. His bombastic buddy, Froggy LeSuer (Steve Irish), drags him there in an effort to get him away from his problems. Charlie hyperventilates at the thought of interacting with guests at the lodge. Froggy creates an outrageous plan to eliminate Charlie’s problem by introducing him as a foreigner that doesn’t speak English. And away we go. Guests just spew out their follies and foibles in front of Charlie and the ensuing fun begins. With typical drawing room comedy (of sorts), all’s well that ends well.
This little bubble will entertain and relax with some well-timed laughs.
***
‘Spring Awakening’: A view of repressed emotions
“Spring Awakening” is a rock musical that opened on Broadway in 2006 and walked away with eight Tony Awards, including best musical, best director and best book. It’s based on the controversial play by 19th century German expressionist playwright Franz Wedekind, who was considered outrageous for his treatment of the social mores of the 1800s. “Spring Awakening” was banned and lay in theater purgatory until Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik set music and lyrics to the rewritten plot. Staying close to the Wedekind’s original story, “Spring Awakening” evolved.
Teen sexuality, abortion, molestation, suicide, masturbation, homosexuality, caning and death unfold with detailed clarity to a standing ovation. The lot of teens, their parents and teachers is harsh and depressing. There is the message of frustration, confusion and rushing hormones. Director Michael Mayer moves his actors from one aching moment to the next with smooth, seamless momentum that leaves nothing to the imagination.
Kyle Riabko and Blake Bashoff reprise their Broadway roles as Melchoir and Moritz with conviction, reality and fine voices. They are supported by a talented cast that tells a story about the difficult teen life, living in a repressed rigid society in a small provincial town in Germany in the 1890s. Bill T. Jones’s choreography is edgy and hits the bells and whistles of the moods of the moment.
The shock value, depressing plot and explicitness of the storyline does not make this an under-17 friendly offering. Personally, I go to the theatre to be entertained. But then what do I know? I didn’t enjoy “Rent.”
