Spilling the Tea has Never Made Such a Mess

 The Port Angeles Community Players (PACP) are thrilled to announce their upcoming production of The Foreigner by Larry Shue.

This timeless farce is a comedy of mistaken identities, small-town gossip, and the delightful chaos that ensues when one painfully shy man tries to avoid small talk… and accidentally becomes the most fascinating person in the room.

Meet Charlie Baker: a meek proofreader whose idea of adventure is ordering soup with crackers. Dragged to a rural Georgia lodge by his buddy “Froggy,” Charlie wants nothing more than to be left alone. To save him from chit-chat, Froggy cooks up a story: Charlie is a foreigner who doesn’t speak a word of English. Problem solved—except everyone immediately starts treating him like the rarest bird in the South.

This simple fib snowballs into hilarity. Thinking he can’t understand them, the lodge’s colorful inhabitants reveal secrets and schemes in front of Charlie with reckless abandon. Catherine, the sweet but conflicted heiress, pours her heart out. Ellard, her slow-witted brother, tries to “teach” Charlie English—leading to uproarious lessons involving spoons, chairs, and wild hand gestures. Betty, the lodge’s hospitable and nosy owner, treats Charlie like an exotic celebrity. Meanwhile, the villainous Reverend David Lee (a wolf in clerical clothing) and his odious ally, Owen the racist property inspector, plot to swindle Catherine out of her inheritance and turn the lodge into a Klan clubhouse.

But here’s the twist: Charlie, free from the burden of conversation and social anxiety, blossoms. In his foreigner disguise, he becomes bolder, funnier, and even heroic. He listens, he mimics, he comforts—without speaking “English.” Soon he’s the heart of the household, inadvertently derailing the villains’ scheme. By the end, Charlie delivers an unlikely but rousing triumph, and the bad guys are served up their just desserts (with a side of slapstick).

The Foreigner is part farce, part fable. It’s a play about how pretending not to understand can sometimes help us understand more deeply, and how even the quietest wallflower can end up the hero. Packed with eccentric characters, absurd misunderstandings, and just enough Southern-fried menace to keep the stakes high, it’s a comedy that proves laughter really is the universal language.

The Foreigner took the theatre world by charm, earning two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best New American Play, and Best Off-Broadway Production. With its lighthearted take on some serious issues, it remains one of the most produced, crowd-pleasing comedies of the last 45 years.

The performances will take place on the PACP Playhouse main stage at 1235 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Fridays and Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. from September 26 to October 12. The doors and bar open 30 minutes before curtain time.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for students. Tuesday nights, any remaining tickets are $9 at the door. Tickets are available online at Ludus – PAcommunityplayers  or at the box office 30 minutes before each performance. Please note the new start times, as they’ve changed this season.