Murfreesboro Center for the Arts is now hosting a play that is a little foreign to Rutherford Countians.
Actually the play, The Foreigner, is a comedy written by playwright and actor Larry Shue, and was first put on in New York City’s Astor Palace Theatre in 1984.
What I enjoyed about the play, comedic as it was, is the fact that it is timeless. This storyline could have been in the 1940s or today, you never really know what year this takes place.
Shane Lowery has done a masterful job directing this presentation, with some very skilled actors working at Betty Meeks’ Fishing Lodge Resort, in a small town south of Atlanta, Ga.
Philip Storvik plays Englishman Froggy LeSuer, who with his buddy Charlie Baker, played by Shane Coffey, stops by to see widowed lodge owner Betty Meeks.
It seems Froggy and Betty have known each other for quite some time, and to help with some rest and relaxation from the world around him, Froggy decides to leave Charlie, a pathological shy introvert who has difficulty talking to people, with Betty at the lodge for several days.
Betty, played by Nancy Clymer, is quite humbled and excited about having “a furriner” in her lodge, but has understood from Froggy that his friend “cannot” speak English, and is to be left alone for peace and quiet during his stay.
Enter the spoiled Southern Belle Catherine Simms, handily played by Jamie Storvik, who is not only bored and impatient, but is also engaged to the Reverend David Marshall Lee. She however, takes a quick liking to Charlie. Rev. Lee, played by Bryan M. Booth, is the personification of a Southern pastor: seemingly humble, pretends to love his brethren, knows his scripture, and has a dark side. His best bud, Owen Musser, is the county property tax inspector and quite a racist. Ben Hornsby is very believable in this role, and is the character you will love to hate.
Last but not least, and a scene stealer if there ever was one, is Catherine’s simpleton brother Ellard Simms. His attempt to teach Charlie the English language makes you feel compassion for this young man. I am betting Greg Lowery had to work hard to portray this village idiot, and his talent showed off.
Some scenes in this play will let you see the hatred there still is in the South. Yet others will show humility and the need for love for everyone, despite their shortcomings. Then again, some hilarious uproarious funny lines will make you miss the next line.
I had rather not give away the plot to this story, in case you have never seen this play. But you will leave with a better understanding of the heartbeats of Southern simplicities.
I do not usually point out trivial matters in theatre reviews, but there is one I could not help but to notice in this play. As beautiful and rustic as the setting is, and someone went to great lengths to put everything in its place in this lodge, hopefully the stage manager will find a real Atlanta Journal-Constitution for the remainder of the play and not use the Daily News Journal for Georgia news stories. The DNJ stuck out like a sore thumb.
The Foreigner continues through July 15, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Again, the Center for the Arts has put on a quality show.
