The Armonk Players Present "The Foreigner"

Award winning comedy, The Foreigner, by American playwright Larry Shue is currently being performed by The Armonk Players. Directed by Pia Haas, this production will be presented until Saturday, December 8 at the Whippoorwill Theater in Armonk, NY.

This two-act comedy is set in a fishing lodge in rural Georgia and tells the story of a pathologically shy British young man named Charlie who pretends that he can’t speak English in order to avoid making conversation with strangers – the other guests at the fishing lodge. Eventually the other guests decide to air their secrets around Charlie – many damaging revelations made with the thought that Charlie doesn’t understand a word being said. That he does fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play and sets up the wildly funny climax in which things go uproariously awry for the “bad guys”, and the “good guys” emerge triumphant.

Main character Charlie (Keith Young) evokes non-stop laughter and applause from the crowd with his over-the-top facial expressions and body language, along with the use of his fictional language.

This excellent ensemble cast includes Chris Jamison as Betty Meeks, Richard Lauria as Ellard, Cassie White as Catherine, Jeff Schlotman as Froggy LeSueur, Zachary Curtin as Rev. David Lee, Scott Brannon as Klansman Owen Musser, and Keith Young as Charlie.

While The Foreigner is a comedy, this play also discusses deep rooted racism and a fear for those who are different in the United States. Written in the early 1980's, at a time of rising white supremacy and a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, this production mocks the concept of xenophobia. The audience is reminded that United States currently faces issues of racism and prejudice today.

The Foreigner is the first production that I've seen the Armonk Players perform. After watching this well executed play, it is clear that I have discovered a cultural hidden gem in Westchester County.

To learn more about this production and tickets, click here.