I’ve never been able to decide which is more tragic: that playwright Larry Shue died in a 1985 plane crash (at age 39) with only three published scripts to his credit; or that he’ll always be remembered for his simply mindless but incredibly popular comedies, “The Foreigner” and “The Nerd,” while his finest work by far, the thoughtful and touching drama “Wenceslas Square,” is barely known and seldom staged.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit having a soft spot for “Square.” The Alliance’s 1990 production was among the first I reviewed in Atlanta and it still ranks among the most memorable all this time later. In the 20-plus years I’ve wanted to revisit the play again, I’ve lost count of how many versions I’ve seen of those lesser Shue shows. Consequently, fair or not, they’ve been a sore spot for me ever since.
Director James Donadio’s latest “The Foreigner” for Georgia Ensemble Theatre – not surprisingly, he mounted another rendition for the company in 1997 – has at least two things going for it that you may not have appreciated in earlier rehashes of the material. One is David Manuel’s absolutely fabulous scenic design of a North Georgia mountain lodge. The second is a fleeting special-effect gag that pays homage to “The Wizard of Oz.”
Otherwise, “The Foreigner” is what it is -- a dimwitted comedy that isn’t for every taste. Stuck for the weekend at a rustic retreat, the profoundly introverted Charlie pretends not to speak or understand English in hopes of avoiding any interaction with the other oddballs gathered there. Of course, just the opposite happens, as the various bumpkins open up around Charlie in ways they never would with someone who might actually realize what they were talking about.
Supposedly embracing certain quirks of the South, even as it’s likely to make some people ashamed to be Southern at all, the play is mildly embarrassing at best and borderline offensive at worst. Long before Shue introduces a group of Ku Klux Klan “sheet heads” for a few ostensible chuckles, he’s already exploited for cheap laughs the character of a mentally impaired kid.
Donadio's actors are theoretically new to the show, although none of them is really doing anything new in it. Hugh Adams (as Charlie), for example, has proven his penchant for physical comedy to better effect elsewhere. Bryan Mercer, no stranger to hamming it up and chewing the scenery, is given free reign to do so again as that (much younger) simpleton. And Scott Warren could probably play an odious redneck in his sleep at this late date.
Different strokes for different folks. There’s no denying the enduring crowd-pleasing appeal of “The Foreigner” and no telling how many members of Georgia Ensemble’s audience will be checking out the show for the first time or coming back for more. Some of my best friends are people who prefer theater of a purely escapist variety, where, as one of them likes to put it, “I don’t have to think about anything.”
But right or wrong, good or bad, when is enough of something enough? Even though I might love to see “Wenceslas Square” again one of these years doesn’t mean that I’d want to see it again and again and again.
Theater review
“The Foreigner”
Grade: C
Through March 11. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 4 p.m. Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays. $23-$33. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. 770-641-1260. www.get.org.
Bottom line: Yet again? Enough already.
About the Author
