Vic to present ‘The Foreigner’

Staff report

Youngstown

Victorian Players Theater will present the comedy “The Foreigner” for three weekends beginning Friday.

“The Foreigner” is set in a fishing lodge in rural Georgia where two colorful characters — Charlie Baker, an Englishman, and Staff Sgt. Froggy LeSueur — have come to relax and give Charlie a reprieve from his troubles.

Charlie, however, is exceedingly shy and is terrified of speaking in front of anyone he does not know.

To assist Charlie in this dilemma, Froggy passes him off as being from an exotic foreign country where they neither understand nor speak English.

This puts Charlie in the very interesting position of overhearing scandals and assorted private information discussed freely in front of him by the other guests at the lodge.

Christopher Fidram stars as Charlie. His last appearance at the Vic was as co-director of “The Elephant Man” with John Cox. Others in the cast are Terri Wilkes, Eric Kibler, Gary Deckant, C. Richard Haldi, Jennifer Milligan and Hunter Thomas. The director is Thomas Copeland.

“The Foreigner” made its off-Broadway premiere in 1984, running for 686 performances and winning two Obie awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards.

It also was named Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. Playwright Larry Shue also authored the popular play “The Nerd” but never really lived to see the success of “The Foreigner” as he was killed in a plane crash a year after it opened in New York.

Show times for the Victorian Players production will be 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and March 23, 24, 30 and 31; and 2 p.m. Sunday and March 25 (there will be no performance April 1).

Tickets are $10 ($8 for students and senior citizens). Discount rates are available for groups and schools. For reservations, call 330-746-5455.