The Foreigner

press release: After 15 months of postponements through the COVID crisis, we are pleased to announce our production of The Foreigner, the well-known farce written by Milwaukee native Larry Shue. 

Performance dates: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (Sept. 9-11), 7:30 pm, Sunday (Sept. 12), 2:00; Thursday and Saturday, (Sept. 16 and 18), 7:30. Thursday and Sunday tickets are $13; Friday and Saturday tickets are $15. Tickets are available at StoughtonVillagePlayers.org. All shows are at the Stoughton Village Players Theater, 255 East Main St., Stoughton. Masks are required for our audience.

The premise concerns a British man visiting a Georgia fishing lodge with his buddy. The man is upset because of a domestic issue and doesn’t want to talk with anyone so his friend tells all the people at the lodge that the man is from a “foreign country” and doesn’t speak English. He then becomes a sounding board for everyone’s secrets, prejudices and hidden agendas since they assume that he can’t understand them anyway.

The hilarity comes from the ways each person at the lodge decides to let their hair down and confide in this man as the audience senses his uncomfortableness. We see one-way discussions of troubled relationships, family dramas played out and displays of ignorant bigotry towards anyone who is different. One local decides to teach the man English while another asks him to instruct everyone on the language and customs of his land. 

According to Director Sam White, “This is a classic American comedy with a simple plot and the joy for the audience is in seeing wonderful actors portray these eccentric characters and their interactions. Despite the silly concept, there is an underlying message about anyone who feels like a foreigner in life and how they should be treated… an excellent lesson handled with a light touch.”

The Stoughton Village Players Theater is a 100-year-old historic landmark that has been refurbished to maintain its art deco beginnings. A 155-seat capacity makes it easy to see and hear everything and it also has a hearing loop to aid those needing extra help. Stoughton Village Players was voted first in a recent Madison Magazine poll called The Best of the ‘Burbs and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2020.