The Foreigner is a hilarious yet touching comedy set in a rural Georgia fishing lodge. The story follows Charlie Baker, a shy and self-effacing proofreader from England, who arrives with his friend Froggy LeSueur for a weekend getaway. Charlie is painfully awkward around strangers, so Froggy concocts a plan: he’ll tell the lodge’s residents that Charlie doesn’t speak English. Believing he can’t understand a word, the locals speak freely in front of him—and Charlie becomes the unexpected keeper of their secrets.
As he quietly “listens,” Charlie learns of Catherine’s doubts about her engagement, her brother Ellard’s struggle to be taken seriously, and the sinister schemes of Reverend David and the racist property inspector, Owen. With the truth hidden in plain sight, Charlie gradually finds confidence, even inventing a comically outlandish “foreign” language. When the villains’ plot to seize the lodge is revealed, Charlie uses his outsider persona to rally the others, outwit the conspirators, and save the day.
Filled with slapstick humor, sharp wit, and an undercurrent of warmth, The Foreigner explores themes of identity, acceptance, and the transformative power of stepping outside one’s comfort zone—sometimes by pretending to be someone you’re not.
Winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play
