|
|
Feature article
|
 |
|
 |
Getaway turns into a fiasco in Barter’s ‘The Foreigner’
By staff report
 |
When a shy young man tries to escape his hectic life by fleeing to a remote vacation destination, things go uproariously awry in “The Foreigner,” opening this evening at Barter Stage II in Abingdon, Va.
This humorously inventive tale centers on the lovable but socially inept Charlie Baker, who leaves behind his stressful life for a stay at a fishing lodge in rural Georgia.
He desperately tries to cover his extreme shyness by posing as a foreigner who doesn’t understand a word of English. The plan backfires, however, when his new persona makes him the perfect person with whom all share their deepest secrets and schemes, resulting in an evening of non-stop hilarity.
“We humans love this misunderstanding stuff,” Katy Brown writes in her director’s notes. “It’s one of my favorite things about ‘The Foreigner’ — people with different perspectives misunderstand each other to hilarious effect. We, the audience, are in the position to see these misunderstandings so clearly — we get to see the collisions as they are about to occur. And we love it.”
Brown, Barter Theatre’s associate artistic director, also serves as the artistic director for The Barter Players and has previously directed “The Fantasticks,” “Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell,” “Hamlet,” “The Last Five Years,” “A Thousand Cranes,” “Children of the Sun,” “Green Gables: The Musical,” “A Walk in the Woods,” “The Quiltmaker” and “Tuck Everlasting.”
“The Foreigner” also features many of Barter’s favorite actors, including Danny Vaccaro, who has returned to play the role of Charlie Baker. Vaccaro also starred in Barter’s “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Sweeney Todd.”
Michael Poisson, from “Driving Mrs. Daisy,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Don’t Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell,” plays Charlie’s friend Froggy. Rounding out the rest of the cast are Mary Lucy Bivins, J. Casey Barrett, Gwen Edwards, Andrew Hampton Livingston and David McCall.
“The Foreigner” runs through Nov. 14. Tickets are $28, $31 and $34 for adults, and $17 for children.
For reservations or more information, call 276-628-3991 or visit bartertheatre.com.
--------GoTriCities--------
“The Foreigner”
WHEN: Through Nov. 14
WHERE: Barter Stage II, Abingdon, Va.
COST: $28, $31, $34; $17, children
CONTACT: 276-628-3991, bartertheatre.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
