Based on my experience as a voting American citizen, politics, campaigns, government, and elections are usually contentious and frustrating topics — rarely do they feel like good, clean fun. Not so with the SBCC Theatre Group’s production of Paul Slade Smith’s The Outsider, directed by Katie Laris. This political comedy does not lean overtly liberal or conservative; instead, the focus is on making amusing commentary about America’s tendency to champion style over substance. The Outsider is a well-written play with plenty of clever bits and barbs delivered by a talented cast who are having fun with the material.
The governor of an unnamed state resigns in disgrace after a scandal involving a beauty pageant runner-up, forcing Lieutenant Governor Ned Newley (Justin Stark) to step out from behind his stack of paperwork and sit in the big chair. Newley is a genius with policy making and balancing budgets, but he lacks the charisma necessary to win over his constituents. After his botched swearing-in ceremony goes viral, his team, composed of pollster Paige Caldwell (Lexie Brent) and chief of staff Dave Riley (Nicholis Sheley), spring into emergency triage mode to save Newley’s job.
Meanwhile in Boston, high-powered political consultant Arthur Vance (Raymond Wallenthin) sees an opportunity in Newley’s floundering persona. He joins the team with the intention of rebuilding public perception of the new governor as a beneficial outsider: an average “everyman” the people can trust — putting him at odds with Riley, who wants people to appreciate Newley for his overwhelming competence in the position. Stark plays a delightfully awkward Newley against Wallenthin’s bombastic show-biz-energy Vance and Tiffany Story’s dementedly clueless front desk assistant, “Lulu.”
Fun and satisfying, The Outsider is a lighter look at the political machine. See it in the Jurkowitz Theatre on the SBCC campus through April 27.
See theatregroupsbcc.com/current-season/the-outsider for tickets and additional information.
