Review: THE FOREIGNER at Rollins College is Witty, Brilliant and Timely

Have you ever gone through life feeling like a fly on the wall? Ever heard something you wish you hadn't and ended up saving the day because of it? In Rollins College's THE FOREIGNER, Englishman Charlie does just that. Through a set of various circumstances, Charlie arrives at a quaint bed and breakfast in Georgia and meets a host of interesting characters. Because of his nervousness of conversation and his lack of personality, with the help of a friend he concocts a plan to pretend to only speak a foreign tongue. What follows is a hilarious and heartwarming tale of friendship and breaking stereotypes.

Played by James Blaisdell, the character of Charlie was an absolute delight to watch. While most of his role is comprised of physical movement or gibberish speaking parts, his expressions and snarky behavior at times were spot on. When he did speak, his attitude and voice were perfectly proper and British, and for a time I asked myself if he was perhaps a British exchange student.

Charlie's right hand man and co-conspirator in the plot, Froggy, was played Nicholas D' Alessandro. The manly-man British soldier was not in the show as much as I would have liked, but when he was on stage his back-and-forth with each character was hilarious.

The "villains" in this play are really what sets it apart, however. While both of them want to get rid of Charlie for different reasons (they both know he overheard the plan to take the family money and get rid of the house and one of them is blatantly racist), it was the comparison of the play and today's political discourse that struck me. We live in a time where, no matter which candidate you prefer, people are scared of what is different or unknown. The character of Owen perhaps embodies this the most, as he immediately judges Charlie from their first meeting. Eventually his hate grows and grows and he calls in the Klan, but no matter how much the family gets to know him and begins to see him as a friend, he never stops seeing him as an outsider who is threatening his way of life. Played by Rollins student Nick Brown, Owen is perhaps the best glimpse we have into the mindset of many Americans today. While he plays his role incredibly (I jumped a little bit every time he entered a scene!) he exuberates not only the stubbornness but the fear that many Americans experience when faces with something unknown.

The other antagonist in this play, David, is a different kind of villain. While he is just as sneaky as Owen, he portrays a different kind of societal view. It's his belief that without Charlie, and people of Charlie's kind, the land would be more "pure." This is certainly something we've seen and heard, in one way or another, in our political discourse as well - this notion that hate isn't as "bad" as long as you're masking it with God and a general love of your country or land. Portrayed by Casey Casteel, this pasture with an underlying plan was both sinister and charming - a mix of the gentle southern preacher we all know and love, and the scary, less than truthful man-of-God we hope we never encounter at church.

Overall, THE FOREIGNER was a wonderful night of theater that me both laugh hysterically and think about wider societal issues. The entire cast had me captivated from beginning to end. The show runs through Saturday, October 1st and you can purchase tickets here.

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