The Foreigner

The story unfolds at a fishing lodge in rural Georgia that is often visited by “Froggy” LeSeuer, a British demolition expert who occasionally runs training sessions at a nearby army base. This time, Froggy has brought along a pathologically shy young man named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. So Froggy tells everyone that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English. The fun begins when Charlie overhears more than he should — hilarious and damaging revelations delivered on the assumption that Charlie doesn’t understand a word of English. The fact that only Charlie and the audience are in on the joke fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play and sets up the wildly funny climax in which things go uproariously awry for the “bad guys,” and the “good guys” emerge triumphant.

The Foreigner won the 1985 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play.