‘The Foreigner’ opens at KMC Onstage


“Blazny blit hahaski.” You don’t understand? Translated, that means, “The Foreigner is hilarious!”

In Tilghman County Georgia, two hours south by good road out of Atlanta, is a rustic fishing lodge run by Betty Meeks, a good-hearted widow who is hanging onto her home and livelihood by a thread. Occupied by a strange mix of characters (is anyone who they seem?), the lodge is the setting for “The Foreigner,” the latest offering from KMC Onstage.

A crowd-pleasing comedy about the magic of kindness, the play’s complexity emerges as the audience learns the secrets and hidden agendas of the characters. With a plot that includes misunderstandings, secrets, lies, a horde of unsavory villains and a heart-warming ending, “The Foreigner” will keep the audience entertained from beginning to end.  

Characters in “The Foreigner” include the aforementioned Betty Meeks; Froggy LeSeuer, a British demolition expert who runs training sessions at a nearby Army base; Charlie Baker, an introverted and emotionally damaged Englishman; Reverend David Marshall Lee, a fine, upstanding Tilghman County preacher; Catherine Simms, a romantically confused former debutante; Owen Musser, a shady property inspector with plans of his own; and Ellard Simms, a dimwitted country bumpkin.

“The Foreigner,” by Larry Shue, was originally produced by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 1983. Winner of two Obie awards and two Outer Critics Circle awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production, “The Foreigner” has played to worldwide audiences large and small. “The Foreigner” is being performed by KMC Onstage through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

The cast of seven actors and a support staff of director, lighting designer, sound designer, stage manager, costume designer and backstage crew include active-duty Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians and Department of Defense Dependents Schools teachers from the Kaiserslautern and Baumholder military communities.

 

“This play is laugh-out-loud funny and the cast is top-notch,” said director Leo Kosley. “I’m very excited to be able to bring this play to KMC Onstage at long last.”

“The Foreigner” will be a KMC Onstage entry to the Tournament of Plays, a competition that includes entries from all over Europe with the awards ceremony on April 21 in Heidelberg, Germany. 

“The Foreigner” opens at KMC Onstage today to Sunday and continues through March 30 to April 1 for a total of six performances. “The Foreigner” will be the first play to be performed at the KMC Onstage theater on Kleber Kaserne since the renovation of the facility.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://webtrac.mwr.army.mil/webtrac/kaiserslauternrectrac.html, through the FMWR One Stop (06371-861780) or at the door.

(by Cheryl Navo)