'The Foreigner'
is a comedy with an underlying message
By
BILL BUELL
Larry Shue's
1983 play, "The Foreigner," is usually
described as a farcical comedy, but like most
timeless pieces of work it offers a whole
lot more than just a few laughs. "I think
it's a play about feeling alienated because
you're a stranger, and I think most of us
feel something like that sometime in our lives,"
said Dan Kelly, who plays Charlie Baker, the
main character in Shue's play, which is being
performed by the Curtain Call Theatre in Latham
beginning at 8 p.m. Friday and running through
Oct. 7.
"I was laughing out loud when I first
read the script, but it's also a serious coming
of age story. It's about a man who goes through
a major change in his life."
In Shue's play, Charlie Baker is a painfully
shy British citizen who comes to Georgia for
a vacation with his good friend, Froggy. When
Baker's shyness makes it difficult to express
himself, Froggy explains to everyone that
his friend is a foreigner from an exotic country
and doesn't understand English.
"There are a number of farcical elements
in this play, but the characters are more
three-dimensional and not just driven by circumstances,"
said Marna Lawrence, who is directing the
production. "There's much more character
development in this play than your regular
comedy, and it has a timelessness to it. It's
a very special play."
relevant
today
Shue's work is also relevant to what's going
on in the world today, according to Lawrence.
"It parallels some very heavy questions
about immigration," said Lawrence, who
was born and raised in New Jersey before moving
to the Capital Region to teach at the University
at Albany nine years ago. "It's about
people accepting someone who's not from this
country. Having spent some time in the South,
I definitely got that feeling, a sense that
people were staring at you because you weren't
from there. It's a very complex issue."
Shue, a playwright and actor who was born
in New Orleans and grew up in Chicago, was
killed in a plane crash in Virginia in 1985
at the age of 39. In 1981, his play "The
Nerd" was a hit on Broadway, and two
years later he had another smash in "The
Foreigner." Although it never made it
to Broadway, his second play won two Obie
Awards as best off-Broadway production and
best new American play, and became a staple
of regional and community theaters around
the country.
"I always liked the show, and it's always
been on my list of shows that I've wanted
to do," said Curtain Call founder and
artistic producer Carol Max. "I never
saw it, but I've talked to a lot of people
who have, and they all said that it's one
of those shows that seem to ring true time
and time again, no matter what the circumstances
in the world are. There's a lot of humor,
but there's also a message."
Kelly grew up in Granville in northern Washington
County and went to school at The College of
Saint Rose and the University of Texas. The
theater was always a big part of his life
but for most of the past 13 years his job
in the state tax department had taken up most
of his time. He got back into the theater
by doing behind-the-scenes work for Theater
Voices in Albany. Last year he landed a part
in Curtain Call's production of "Wait
Until Dark," and earlier this year he
played Mr. Braddock in The Theater Barn's
production of "The Graduate."
Kelly took some acting lessons from Curtain
Call resident director Steve Fletcher and
also attended a workshop offered by Alan Arkin
last summer at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck.
Both experiences helped him prepare for his
role as Charlie Baker.
"I don't think I've played a leading
role since I was a teenager in the '70s,"
said Kelly. "I was willing to play any
male role in this play because there aren't
any small roles. Every actor on stage is involved
in the plot. So I didn't feel any great sense
of trepidation about taking this part. I knew
it was be a big task, but I feel comfortable
doing it."
other
characters
Albany physician Ted Zeltner plays Froggy,
while also in the cast are Jack Fallon, Chris
Cook, Ian LaChance, Aubrey Tighe and Rie Lee.
"There are seven characters and it seems
like five or six of them are on the stage
at the same time," said Lawrence, who
also directed "Death Trap" and "Visiting
Mr. Green" at Curtain Call. "I'm
a very detailed-oriented director. So the
rehearsals were a bit of a challenge. But
I love doing play analysis and dealing with
a script. I love directing."
"There was a great deal of blocking to
learn, and despite the fact that I don't say
that much early in the play, there are still
a lot of lines, a lot of dialogue for me to
learn," said Kelly. "When all those
other characters are on stage, and I'm pretending
to be learning English, I have to remain in
character. When everybody else is talking,
I still have to convey my character to the
other actors and the audience. Fortunately,
Marna has a lot of experience as a director
and she's been very helpful."
