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Back by public demand - after the tremendous success of Larry Shue's "The Foreigner" during the winter semester 2001/2002, the maniACTs are now glad to announce that he'll be back? same show (allowing for improvements, of course), different stage! And here's what it is all about - for those who have seen it before and need that extra little reminder of how much they want to see it again, and those who haven't seen it yet but definitely should:

Proofreading, mousey-grey and profoundly boring Charlie is miserable - and he's got every reason: not only is his beloved wife lying in hospital, victim to a fatal illness, but on top of that, she likes him so little doesn't even want him with her! Thus she has asked his friend Froggy, a military man and expert on explosives, to take him from England to an obscure little place in Georgia, where the sergeant is supposed to demonstrate some new exploding device, and get him out of the way for a while.

Once there, Charlie is conveyed into the fishing-lodge of rustic old Betty Meeks, widow of the late Omer Meeks, who happens to be as talkative and curious as she is friendly. Froggy hopes for her to cheer Charlie up a bit, but hasn't reckoned with one unexpected circumstance, namely Charlie's pathological fear to talk to anybody at all.

Trying to save the situation, Froggy proceeds to tell Betty that his quiet friend is a foreigner who doesn't understand a word of English before he leaves him alone with her, which comes in handy as Betty is just at that moment seized with profound regrets of never having seen anything of the world and is delighted to have such an exotic guest.

Unfortunately, Charlie isn't pleased at all with this solution for the conversation problem, most of all as his allegedly not understanding any English clearly doesn't stop Betty from incessantly talking to him anyway. However, Charlie has to abandon all plans of setting Betty right as to his language abilities when he accidentally overhears a very compromising private conversation between two other guests, and is only saved from being condemned as a hopelessly rude and unfeeling person by the pretence of indeed having understood nothing at all.

Very soon Charlie starts to notice that his pretended status as a foreigner has not only disadvantages: as nobody bothers to conceal anything from him, he is able to brighten up old Betty's retired life, to give a much-slighted simpleton new self-confidence, to prevent the Ku-Klux-Klan from taking over Betty's lodge against her will, to save a pretty ex-debutant from marrying the wrong guy, and most of all, to find out that he isn't all that boring himself after all...

The Badische Zeitung says: "Really great!"

Show dates

All shows of the May 2003 rerun take place at the Wallgraben Theater. Tickets can be bought there.

Wednesday 7.5. - 11h and 20h
Tursday 8.5. - 20h
Friday 9.5. - 19h
Saturday 10.5. - 19h

Mit der Einladung zu ein paar Ferientagen in Amerika will Feldwebel Froggy seinen neurotischen Freund Charlie eigentlich nur auf andere Gedanken bringen. Doch kaum in Betty Meeks Angler-Pension in Giorgia angekommen, hat der scheue Brite Charlie eine Panikattacke. Seine Angst: mit fremden Leuten reden zu müssen. Um die Situation zu retten, ersinnt Froggy einen Plan. Er gibt vor, Charlie sei ein "Ausländer" der kein Wort Englisch versteht. Doch er hat die Rechnung ohne die Wirtin gemacht.

Denn Betty, die noch nie aus ihrem kleinen Kaff im amerikanischen Süden herausgekommen ist, findet den schüchternen Fremdling ganz entzückend. Lautstark widmet sie ihm Tag und Nacht ihre mütterliche Aufmerksamkeit. Auch die anderen Gäste der Pension - die Millionenerbin Catherine Simms nebst Verlobtem, dem scheinheiligen Prediger David, und ihrem etwas zurückgebliebenen Bruder Ellard - benehmen sich nicht anders. Und da niemand die Echtheit des "Ausländers" bezweifelt, wird Charlie Zeuge so mancher Unterhaltung, die er besser nicht gehört hätte. Als er sich mit dem fremdenfeindlichen Landinspektor Owen Musser anlegt, um Bettys baufällige Pension vor der Schließung zu bewahren, stellt er fest, dass er seine Rolle ein bisschen zu perfekt gespielt hat. Umzingelt von den Schergen des Ku Klux Klan muss er sich etwas einfallen lassen, um sich aus der Affäre zu ziehen.

Die Badische Zeitung sat dazu: "Really great!"

Aufführungstermine

Alle Aufführungen unserer Mai 2003 Wiederaufnahme finden im Wallgraben Theater statt. Karten gibt es dort.

Mi., 7.5. - 11 Uhr und 20 Uhr
Do., 8.5. - 20 Uhr
Fr., 9.5. - 19 Uhr
Sa., 10.5. - 19 Uhr

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updated: 23.04.2003