![]() ![]() The Foreigner remains Shue’s most highly regarded work and is considered the most perfectly realized of his plays. He developed the central idea for The Foreigner when he discovered that the Japanese would tolerate even his most bizarre behavior (because he was unaware of Japanese social customs), dismissing his inappropriate actions as the conduct of an outsider. In 1980, Shue studied with a theatre company in Japan. These plays are now staples of university, regional, and community theatres all over America. Two years after Shue’s death, in 1987, The Nerd was produced on Broadway, and eventually his more serious play, Wenceslas Square (1984), became popular as well. It played in Manchester in 1982 and at the Aldwych Theatre in London in 1984, where it earned more money than any other American play on the West End. ![]() His earlier farce, The Nerd, had gone from its successful Milwaukee production in 1981 to similarly successful productions in England. Lukewarm responses from the critics failed to quench the play’s enormous audience appeal, and as Laurie Winer reported in a 1988 New York Times article, “one of the few Off Broadway plays to overcome negative reviews, The Foreigner played 685 performances and fully recouped its $250, 000 investment.”īecause of the extraordinary commercial success of The Foreigner, Shue’s other plays came to the attention of American theatre companies. Named by the American Theatre Critics Association as one of the best regional theatre plays for the 1983-1984 season, The Foreigner was subsequently produced Off-Broadway in November of 1984 at the Astor Place Theatre in New York City. Images: Ellard (Steven Ozanne, left) tries to teach Charlie (Joe Isaia) to count Joe Isaia, Jacqui Warner and Steven Ozanne and Catherine Simms (Kylie Isaia, left) tries to show a little understanding to Charlie (Joe Isaia) in The Foreigner.The Foreigner was first produced at the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Repertory Theatre in January of 1983, and the boisterous laughter it created there made the play an enormous local success. The heritage-listed Old Mill Theatre is on the corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth (opposite the Windsor Hotel and Australia Post). Tickets are $25, $22 concession – book at August 4, 50 per cent proceeds will go to the WA Heart and Lung Transplant Foundation. “It’s also one of the few modern comedies that remains true to human nature despite its absurd excesses.” “With The Foreigner, the main challenge is ensuring that audiences believe a person who is so quiet can change so much by taking on a different personality. ![]() “I enjoy doing comedy because I believe people want to go out and have a good laugh,” he said. More recently, Warner directed Wife After Death for Serial Productions at the Old Mill Theatre and The Anniversary for Marloo Theatre. He mainly works as a stage manager and has branched out with other companies including the Old Mill, KADS, Regal, Rechabites and Stirling Theatres and the Graduate Dramatic Society. Joining Marloo Theatre in 1993, initially just to keep an eye on his kids, Warner has been involved ever since and has spent the past 12 years as president. It’s second-time around for Warner who made his directing debut with the comedy at Marloo Theatre in 2016, picking up the Yvonne Lynch Breakthrough Award, David Crewes Award for best set and nominations for best director and best play, at the annual Finley Awards. The Foreigner has previously won two Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. ![]()
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