Maltz Jupiter Theatre to Open Season with THE FOREIGNER, 10/26-11/9

What do you do when someone new and different comes to visit? Do you underestimate their power to shake things up?

That's the question at hand in the first show of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's 2014/15 season, The Foreigner (October 26 - November 9), an uproariously funny adventure set in a rural Georgia fishing lodge. The tale follows a shy man who adopts a persona as a non-English-speaking foreigner in an attempt to avoid conversation. Before long, hilarity ensues as an outrageous group of characters reveals all and he finds himself privy to their secrets and scandals.

"This comedy has become an American classic filled with twists and turns and heartwarming revelations, continuing in the tradition of past productions of Barefoot in the Park and Same Time, Next Year," said Andrew Kato, the Theatre's producing artistic director.

First produced in 1983, The Foreigner is a two-act comedy by playwright Larry Shue. One of the country's most popular comedies of the last 30 years, the play earned two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production.

Directed by Matt Lenz (a New York-based freelance theater director who has worked internationally with many of the industry's biggest and brightest talents), the show will star actor Andrew Sellon as "the foreigner" Charlie Barker, last seen at the Theatre portraying dozens of characters in The 39 Steps.

"To have longevity, a play must be more than just zany and hilarious - it must possess some kind of a magic seed that resonates," Lenz said. "The Foreigner has all of the ingredients for success: a sound premise, a compelling plot and characters that are well-drawn, likeable and recognizable - as well as a strong, sweet beating heart and true humanity."

Sellon, seen this fall on the NBC shows The Blacklist, The Mysteries of Laura and the summer film Begin Again, has performed a wide range of regional and New York-based roles. He recently received rave reviews as Vanya in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and Jim Casy in The Grapes of Wrath at the Asolo Repertory Theatre.

The production also stars Michael Edwards as Charlie's traveling companion S/Sgt. "Froggy" LeSueur; Brooks Anne Hayes Meierdierks as the lodge's owner, Betty Meeks; Maddie Jo Landers as the pretty heiress Catherine Simms; Carrington Vilmont as Catherine's fiancé, the Rev. David Marshall Lee: Matthew Minor as Catherine's dim-witted brother Ellard Simms; and David Sitler as the superstitious, dangerous neighbor Owen Musser.

The Foreigner in onstage at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre October 26 - November 9; tickets start at $54. Tickets are now on sale for all of the shows in the Theatre's 2014/15 season, including ticket packages and individual show tickets. Season ticket holders save 10 percent to 15 percent on single ticket prices, and groups of 20 or more receive an additional discount.

For showtimes and additional information, call (561) 575-2223 or visit www.jupitertheatre.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.