The Foreigner

The Foreigner is a 1984 two-act comedy by American playwright Larry Shue. The play has become a staple of professional and amateur theatre. The Foreigner has earned two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. Characters Charlie Baker: a meek proofreader for a science fiction magazine; he has a merrily adulterous wife whom he loves. He is witty and funny while also very smart. He is extremely shy but living at the lodge and being in contact with such wonderful people, Charlie soon comes out of his shell and eventually finds himself the center of attention as the hero. S/Sgt. "Froggy" LeSueur: a cheerful British Army man who teaches the use of explosives. Betty Meeks: an elderly widow who owns a resort lodge and mothers her guests. She has a fun, sarcastic nature, but she is very nurturing to all who come in contact with her. She is a hard worker, and her weak body carries all of the work she has done throughout the years. Rev. David Marshall Lee: engaged to Catherine and, "it would appear, a good young man to have on our side". He comes in and out of the play and always seems like a charmer when the ladies are around. When it is just him alone with Charlie however, he begins to show his true colors. Catherine Simms: a pretty heiress going through an emotional time. She is kind and caring towards Ellard and quickly shows Charlie the same attention. Ellard Simms: Catherine's dim-witted brother, heir to half the family money if Catherine decides he is "smart enough to handle it". He is a kind, gentle-hearted man but no one really gives him the time of day until Charlie comes into the picture. Charlie not only helps Ellard become more in tune with really how bright he is, but is also taught by Ellard what it means to be patient and lighthearted. Owen Musser: a superstitious, dangerous racist man that lives in town. Plot In a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the plot revolves around the visit of two guests, Englishmen Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Naturally shy, Charlie is also depressed because his beloved wife may be dying. To help his friend, Froggy tells Betty Meeks, who owns the lodge, that Charlie is the native of an exotic country who does not understand a word of English.