The HFC Theatre Program presents "The Foreigner" April 4-14
The Henry Ford College (HFC) Theatre Arts Dept. presents Larry Shue’s The Foreigner, which runs April 4-14 in the Adray Auditorium in the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center (Building F) on the main campus. It is directed by HFC theater instructor Judith Fletcher.
The Foreigner will be performed on the following dates and times:
• Thursday, April 4, at 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, April 5, at 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, April 6, at 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, April 7, at 2:00 p.m.
• Thursday, April 11, at 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, April 12, at 8:00 p.m.
• Saturday, April 13, at 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m.
The Foreigner is a two-act comedy that occurs in a fishing lodge in rural Georgia where two Englishmen, Froggy and Charlie, are guests. The shy Charlie had agreed to accompany Froggy on the trip after his sick wife begged him to go. When people at the lodge try to talk to Charlie, he remains silent. He is terribly shy, morose, depressed about his wife’s illness, and cannot find the words to reply.
However, Froggy claims that Charlie cannot talk because he is a “foreigner” from an exotic country and does not understand English. Taking the explanation that he’s a non-English speaker as fact, the lodge’s other guests quickly begin revealing their secrets, unwittingly making Charlie their confidant. Soon thereafter, Charlie discovers scandals among the guests in this hilarious farce.
“The comedies of Larry Shue, though written years ago, have remained enduringly popular. The award-winning The Foreigner has been produced all over the country throughout the years,” said Fletcher.
Written in 1983, The Foreigner debuted Off-Broadway on Nov. 1, 1984. It earned two Obie Awards in 1985 for direction by 2-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks and performance by Michigan State University alumnus Anthony Heald (The Silence of the Lambs) as Charlie. It also earned two Outer Critics Circle awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. It is frequently performed from high school to the professional level.
The cast of The Foreigner includes the following HFC students:
• Eve Leigh as Froggy
• Nathaniel Wilhelm as Charlie
• Kennedy Cooper and Nyima Yvette Brown as Betty
• Jesse Mattox as Rev. David Lee
• Sasha Johnson and Zhanin Ruseva as Catherine
• Dakota Nuttall and Mohammed Hassab as Ellard
• Eric Vega as Owen
Fletcher is the costume designer as well as the director. Christopher Bremer is the technical director, Stephanie Baugher is the set designer, Baugher and Emily Willemse are the lighting technicians, Willemse and Amanda Bates are the sound technicians, and Bates is in charge of props.
“This comedy is silly and absurd, the characters are stereotypical and hilarious, but there is a serious exploration of racism and xenophobia that has a renewed relevance for our times,” said Fletcher. “It is a fantasy about good versus evil with good triumphant, filled with warmth and humor that I hope our audiences will find entertaining, funny, and ultimately, moving.”
Tickets range from $12 for HFC employees and any student with a valid photo ID to $15 for the general public. Tickets are available online at www.hfcc.edu/campus-life/theatre. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office the day of show. For questions or more information, contact Fletcher at jfletcher1@hfcc.edu.