by
Tony Annicone
Little Rhody Entertainment Writer
The latest show at Granite Theatre is the comedy, "The
Foreigner" which takes place in 1982 and is set in a
fishing lodge in rural Georgia where Froggy LeSeuer, a
British demolition expert occasionally runs training
sessions at a nearby army base. This time Froggy has
brought along a friend, Charlie Baker who is
pathologically shy and is overcome with fear at the
thought of making conversation with strangers. So Froggy
tells Betty Meeks, the owner of the lodge that Charlie
is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English.
However Charlie overhears more than he should about the
evil plans of a sinister minister and his redneck
associate as well as the fact that the minister's
fiancee is pregnant. Charlie also learns many other
damaging revelations made by the others with the thought
that he doesn't understand anything being said. The fact
that he does understand and eventually helps the good
guys overcome the evil Ku Klux Klan, conquering his them
and overcoming his shyness at the same time. Gary
Sullivan directs his seven talented performers perfectly
in this madcap comic romp. The foreign language spoken
by Charlie is hilarious to hear and watch as he tries to
make the others understand what he is saying, winning
the cast a standing ovation on opening night.
Gary brings the comic moments out and gives each actor a
chance to shine in their roles. Each role is a character
role and he makes everyone of them unique from each
other. The British and southern accents by the cast are
excellently executed and the scene changes by stage
manager, Morgan Ban Draoi are quickly done, keeping the
show's pace moving along smoothly. The sound design by
David LaRocque includes a rain storm and an explosion
and is run by Tai Scavetta who also handles the numerous
lighting changes. The two story fishing lodge set by
artistic director David Jepson is wonderful with its
rustic touches and its hidden trapdoor which plays a big
part in their comic adventures. The cast is lead by Bill
Martuscello, a Eugene O'Neill Best Actor award winner.
His portrayal of Charlie Baker is splendid with his
fantastic facial expressions and wonderful line
deliveries in English and in his made up foreign
language. (Blit is no and gock is yes) Charlie feels
inadequate due to his wife's 23 affairs but his time in
Georgia helps him overcome his doubts and he becomes a
hero, too. His interactions with the other characters is
perfect as he helps a dimwitted boy win his inheritance,
brings adventure to an old lady stuck in this backwards
town, helps a pregnant woman escape the clutches of her
awful boyfriend and taunts her beau and his horrible
redneck pal with his secret insults in his hidden
tongue. His little red riding hood tale has to be seen
and heard to be believed because the audience gets what
he is saying even though he is speaking
gibberish. It may be Bill's first time on the Granite
stage but his acting career started when he was five
years old and he hasn't stopped since then. Bravo on a
job well done.
Charlie's chum, Froggy is played wonderfully by Greg
Bliven. He makes this bombastic, heavy drinking British
soldier come to life. Greg is a whirlwind as he tries to
encourage Charlie to be more sociable and as he concocts
the foreigner story to help bolster Betty up due to her
problems at the lodge. Michelle Donovan is a hoot as
Betty who misconstrues almost everything Charlie says to
her including a tractor and a harmonica and her
imitation of a chicken is a laugh out loud moment, too.
Another scene stealer is Brian Olsen as the dimwitted,
Ellard who turns out to be smarter than anyone thinks.
His eating and teaching scenes are hysterical as he
teaches Charlie how to eat scrambled eggs while putting
a glass on his head and how to identify objects in the
lodge by their English definitions. Lauren Dulude, a
recent Rhode Island College graduate, plays Ellard's
sister Catherine. The character is unhappy at first due
to her predicament but becomes enamored of Charlie later
on and mellows out due to his sympathetic and
understanding nature. John Brennan usually plays
farcical roles but the role of David, gives him chance
to play a cad. Charlie observes David telling Ellard to
bring Catherine a carrot when she asked for a candle as
well as watching David's weird conversations with his
horrid friend. John's closing moments show the
characters true colors and he gets his comeuppance.
Last
but not least is Rick Bagley as one of the nastiest
villains in this show as he takes advantage of an old
lady and tries to kill Charlie because he is a
foreigner. The Ku Klux Klan's entrance in the second act
is frightening but the comic moments help to temper it.
Rick oozes smarmy, awful dialogue at Charlie and the
others but he captures the true essence of the role
while performing it. So for a topnotch hilarious comedy,
be sure to catch "The Foreigner" in Westerly. You'll be
glad you did and tell them Tony sent you.
THE FOREIGNER (8 -31 July, 2005)
Granite Theatre, 1 Granite Street, Westerly, RI
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