The Connecticut Repertory Theatre's 2000 Nutmeg Summer Series will conclude July 29 with the last performance of Larry Shue's comedy The Foreigner. It opened July 20 at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The Off-Broadway production of the play won two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards.

In the play, Charlie, a pathologically shy man, arrives in Georgia. He has his friend Froggy tell everyone that he is from a foreign country, in order to avoid making contact with others. Assuming Charlie can't understand them, people talk in front of him openly, and he overhears more than he should about the people around him.

Ken O'Brien stars as Charlie Baker. Other CRT credits of his include West Side Story (Officer Krupke and Glad Hand), Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate), and Horatio in Hamlet. Froggy is played by Stan W. Bayley, who appeared in CRT's West Side Story as Lt. Shrank, and Angels in America as Klemper. He also appeared in,The Boys Next Door, which won the 1998-1999 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Other cast member include Lindsey Beeman, June Squibb, Peter-Michael Marino, Ron McClary, and Jordan Monsell.

The play ran under the direction of James Alexander Bond. He most recently directed the Off-Broadway revival of The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Pearl Theatre. The production team consists of Mark Fitzgibbons (set design), Sabrina Notarfrancisco (costume design), Tina Louise Jones (lighting design) and Shannon Kennedy (sound design).

CRT is readying their next season's productions. The lineup is as follows: Twelfth Night Oct. 5-15, The Mystery of Edwin Drood Nov. 30 - Dec. 10, Angels in America: Perestroika March 1-11, and Our Country's Good April 26 - May 6. For more info on upcoming events, visit www.jorgensen.ct arts.com. The theatre is located on Hillside Road on the University of Connecticut campus. For ticket information, call the box office at (860) 486-4226.

- by Daniel Fischer
and Ernio Hernandez