From left: Thomas Anawalt, Jonathan Bray, Nikhil Pai, Steven Rockwell, Susan Hackle, Taylor Popoola / Kate Deyoma
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Politics is no laughing matter these days, but no matter how bleak the outlook, there’s always a special place for satire. In the case of Paul Slade Smith’s “The Outsider,” you’re guaranteed a night of timely laughs and a lot more about how politics work in this country than you ever learned in civics class.
In the six or so years since it first hit the stage, The Outsider has had 125 performances, proving its merits as a dramatic piece of work to an astonishing extent. It speaks to a troubling problem: what may seem to you and me like the obvious and hopeless flaws of a candidate is actually exactly what we need in our political times. Yes, the perfect candidate (or should I say the most electable candidate) is the one whose clumsy, slurred, animated string of words comes out of his mouth the least scripted, the most “relatable” — the most “real” and “authentic” — to jaded voters.
Could it be that some clever political wizard lurking in the background has actually decided that that’s exactly what the public wants? Readers will no doubt offer their own favorite examples of the types of candidates Smith verbally attacks, but suffice it to say that the play premiered a few years after Donald Trump became president.
What I actually thought about most was the cognitively impaired Sarah Palin, who would have never stepped foot in the presidency if her running mate John McCain had won the 2008 election. That thought alone is enough to convince me that the lesser known and relatively inexperienced Barack Obama would have been elected.
Though the message of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” may seem aimed at Republicans, people of all political stripes can enjoy the show, including those on the political right who are convinced that liberals and progressives are “funded by George Soros” and are simply rhetoric about the latest talking points from drag queens, Black Lives Matter, and big-headed academics.
From left: Thomas Anawalt, Jonathan Bray, Nikhil Pai, Steven Rockwell, Susan Hackle, Taylor Popoola / Kate Deyoma
The plot of the play is that the tiny state’s former governor was forced to resign after having an affair. A portrait of the governor still hangs on his desk, smeared with oil, gaudy, and grinning in his red tie. The pathologically timid and tongue-tied lieutenant governor, Ned Newley (Stephen Rockwell), was picked as a competent policy expert, but his timid temperament is no threat to the cheery politician who has now been thrown out the window and, improbably, now governor, is subject to a by-election. The lively cast includes the governor’s pollster Paige Caldwell (Natalie Storrs), Newley’s chief of staff Dave Riley (Nikhil Pai), and astute political adviser Arthur Vance (Jonathan Bray), who realizes that Newley, despite being the “real thing,” is best suited for the governor’s office and even national politics. The clueless doofus Louise Peaks (Susan Hackle), affectionately known as Lulu (really Lulu!), is a terminally awkward character who appears as a temporary receptionist for a day and improbably becomes famous under Vance’s wise tutelage (“I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m sure I’m sure”) Finally, as compromised media, there’s TV reporter Rachel Parsons (Taylor Popoola) and her bumbling cameraman A.C. Petersen (Thomas Anawalt), who represent the general public.
Brian Schnipper will direct the play, which will have its Los Angeles County premiere at the International City Theatre in Long Beach for a three-week run through June 30. If you don’t live too far from Long Beach, check out the play’s other performances scheduled for later this year: The Chicago-area premiere opens at the Buffalo Theatre Ensemble on September 5, at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota on July 24, and at Act II Playhouse in Ambler, Pennsylvania on October 8.
The acting and direction are momentarily brilliant, combining the most delightful features of comic sensibility: wordplay, physical acrobatics, vaudeville nonsense, ridiculous costumes, set and prop designs, and situations. Particularly commendable in this semicircular setting is the clear pronunciation of every syllable necessary for full understanding.
Arthur’s colored flash cards play a key role, allowing test-takers to glance at them and routinely switch from serious to hopeful to patriotic to triumphant.The consistent theme is that society’s problems are so complex and deep-rooted that only an outsider – an average citizen with common sense, no preconceived ideas, and no personal interest in the status quo – can solve them.
Interviewing the playwright, Mark Shanahan asked, “The Outsider is a biting political satire, but it also has a wonderful, heartfelt message about the value of public service. What gives you hope in our current divisive political climate?”
Smith replies, “A secret that I’ve always shared honestly is that I didn’t set out to write a play about the values of government or democracy. But inevitably, as I was writing a plot in which these are the things my protagonists are fighting so hard for, I found myself having to define these concepts, and how to explain that to someone on a simple, basic level. And what I’ve discovered is that Ned’s explanation really speaks to audiences everywhere, regardless of political leaning. That’s proven true in the production in Republican counties, Democratic counties, everywhere it’s been performed. And the fact that there are stateable, definable goals — goals that we all want from our government — gives me hope.”
If there’s one thing I wish the play had done more, it would be to clarify where the money for the flawed candidates is coming from. However, I understand that this may be controversial and undesirable for the play to be accepted as a broad comedy. My point about funding is not about the play itself, but about the election. We have Citizens United to thank for the outrageous influence of money in the electoral process, not to mention the fact that much of the horse racing media is bipartisan. There is a lot of work to be done to make voting fairer and more democratic: the Electoral College, the excessive power given to the states, redistricting, voter suppression, etc.
The creative team for The Outsider includes scenic designer John Patrick, lighting designer Crystal R. Shonff, costume designer Claire Fraser, sound designer Dave Mickey and props designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan and Richie Ferris, and the stage manager is Pat Loeb.
The Outsider will be showing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm through June 30. International City Theatre is located in the Beverly O’Neill Theatre at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 330 East Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or visit the company’s website
No matter who you voted for in the last election, who you plan to vote for this November (and please, don’t miss it this time!), or wherever you happen to come across this play, if you can catch it before it closes, you’ll be a winner.
To read an interview with playwright Paul Slade Smith, click here. To listen to an interview with director Brian Schnipper on Hollywood Report Card, click here. To watch an interview with actor Steven Rockwell, click here.
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