“The Foreigner” by Bonington Players
Bonington Theatre, Arnold.

I’d never heard of this play before so this was going to be an education for me.And what a lovely education it turned out to be.

In a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the plot revolves around the visit of two guests, Englishmen Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Naturally shy, Charlie is also depressed because his beloved wife may be dying.

To help his friend, Froggy tells Betty Meeks, who owns the lodge, that Charlie is the native of a foreign country and does not understand a word of English. Betty, who has never travelled, is delighted to cater for a stranger who is "as foreign as the day is long." At first, Charlie is not at all happy by Froggy's fib and protests that he can't pretend.

Charlie overhears a private and emotional conversation (Catherine discovers she is pregnant), and decides to go along with the facade. Before long, Charlie finds himself privy to assorted secrets and scandals freely discussed in front of him by the other visitors.When these secrets become a danger to Charlie and the others, drastic action is called for!

The set (Tony Tomlinson) for this play is one of the best that I have seen at the Bonington with video screening design (David Goatham) and a wonderfully designed set.

Wayne Hill (Froggy Le Seur) is great in this part and I loved that he kept a local accent as well.

Anna Hodkin (Betty Meeks) has lovely characterisation as the elderly lodge owner. the voice and movement ages her character perfectly.

Eddie Januszczyk (Rev David Maeshall Lee) is responsible for the baddie section of the cast, and gets his comeuppance by the end of the play, but not in the way that I'd expected.

Helen Holbrook (Catherine Simms) plays one of those roles that really grow on you, and i love the transition that occurs in her character, albeit very slightly.

Kevin Jones (Owen Musser) is an even worse - or better baddie depending on how you look at the character - than the Reverand, and it's Owen who brings a very dark twist to the play.

Alex Brimelow (Ellard Simms) absolutely smashes the accent, and again first impressions with Ellard are not always what they seem.

Danny Longbottom (Charlie Baker) is the star of this play with his various vocal talents and his verbal and physical humour.

Nick Hill, Jill Weller and Gail Tomlinson play the townspeople.

The sound, also by David Goatham, is vital for this play in order to create that world outside the stage area, and the various sound effects help paint those images in your mind.

A lovely lighting design by Howard Whitehurst which also creates the atmosphere, especially during Act Two.

Jonathan Greaves has directed a wonderfully funny play with plenty of pace.

The writer, Larry Shue, has a lovely comedy style which has enabled the actor to present a gentle comical piece of theatre and some wonderful characters with a lovely sense of the absurd.

Loved the music choices as well at the start, interval and ending of the play creating just the right feel of the play.

“The Foreigner” is at The Bonington Theatre until Saturday 13 April, and is one not to be missed if you like a good chuckle.