‘The Outsider’ a thoughtful political comedy
LATHAM, N.Y. – You have to see it to believe it.
Curtain Call Theatre in Latham is presenting a comedy that is really a comedy. You might remember the type – one where you actually laugh out loud instead of just offering a chuckle or a wry smile?
But actually, that’s not the part that is hard to believe. No, it’s the plot. “The Outsider” is a political comedy in which the central figure is a politician who is honest, intelligent and believes in doing good for people. And it takes place in modern times.
The situation is the governor of a small state that strongly resembles Vermont, has resigned because of a sex scandal. His Lt. Governor, the honest and efficient Ned Newley, takes his place, reluctantly.
In fact, the premise of the farce rests on the fact that Newley is so shy that he cannot string three coherent words together when speaking in public. And when he discusses policy in private, he gives so much data that he bores everyone.
An embarrassing television interview proves he’s a terrible candidate to win a special election for Governor.
However, his awkward persona endears him to the public who sees his apparent stupidity as a mark of the common man. He is embraced as a man just like the voters – the ultimate outsider who is too stupid to be confused by complicated details. His ratings soar.
The beauty of Paul Slade Smith’s comedy is that it is never mean-spirited. Though the idea of an intellectually incompetent man being elected to pubic office does bring to mind specific individuals, this is a play about the gullibility of the public to seek simple solutions to complex problems.
There are a lot of funny lines throughout the play. However, director Steve Fletcher enriches them because he understands that a punch line doesn’t have to be punched. It can be funny even when delivered as a throw-away. He, too, realizes that laughs often come from the reactions of others rather than the line itself.
This show is filled with underplayed humor that exploits the comedy in the writing.
However, Fletcher’s greatest contribution as a director is keeping the play pleasant. There are a lot of opposing views on how to market a candidate and how one should express the values of a democratic society. Never do the opposing camps become aggressive or use a “dirty tricks” mentality.
This is a political play without any bad guys.
Another positive in the staging of “The Outsider” is the way the actors build character throughout the two-hour performance. For example, Rich Angehr’s portrayal of Newley initially appears false and is damaged by his shyness. By play’s end, his eloquent defense on the need for government is more powerful because the man’s character is revealed in doses.
A nice complement to Angehrs’s work is Ian Chance’s portrayal of Dave Riley, the principled aide to Newley. His ideal is to elect qualified men to office and the temptation to make Newley a caricature in order to win is kind of tempting even to this man of integrity.
Chance captures the man’s frustrations by offering a master class in how to achieve laughs without grandstanding.
However, not everyone generates humor by underplaying. Indeed Sara Paupini gets the biggest laughs of the night from her broad portrayal of Louise Peakes. Louise is a comic stereotype made fresh by Paupini’s sense of pride in being genuinely clueless.
She’s a temp worker who is so inept she has never been invited back to a job for a second day. In Paupini’s hands Louise is aggressively dumb, which means she herself could have a great future in politics.
Sky Vogel is a ball of cynical energy as the high-powered campaign manager Arthur Vance, who has many funny lines that have the ring of truth about them.
He delivers them all with superb comic timing. Emily Fernandes is the pollster, Paige, who appreciates Newley’s honest approach to campaigning, but realizes it will not win an election. Jennifer Van Iderstyne is also on the money as Rachel, a television reporter who knows being good at her job, will cost her her job.
This is a well-acted, pleasant night of theater. It is not only a funny play; like the better comedies “The Outsider” is a play that makes sense in a nonsensical way.
“The Outsider” is at Curtain Call Theater, Latham through Nov. 9. For tickets and schedule information call (518) 877-7529 or go to curtaincalltheatre.com