‘The Foreigner’ Outdoors

Summer always brings theater outdoors. Many of the best places to see outdoor theater occur far from the metro area in touristy places like Spring Green and Door County, but there are a fair number of outdoor shows that are being staged a bit closer to home. Next week, SummerStage of Delafield opens the first of three theatrical stage shows in Lapham Peak State Park.

Diane Powell directs SummerStage’s production of Larry Shue’s classic, The Foreigner. The popular comedy debuted in Milwaukee in the early ’80s and had been staged regularly all over the country since then. It tells the story of a British gentleman who has escaped to a rural fishing lodge in Georgia. In the interest of not being bothered, his friend informs the owner of the lodge that he doesn't speak a word of English. A solidly respectable amount of comedy ensues.

The performance space at Lapham Peak State Park—roughly 30 miles west of Milwaukee—is a pleasantly peaceful place to see an outdoor show. A comedy about a man getting more than he'd expected out of a trip to a rural area seems like a nice match for the space.

SummerStage of Delafield's production of The Foreigner runs June 20-29. For more information, call 262-337-1560 or visit summerstageofdelafield.org.

Theatre Happenings

• Outdoor theater in Spring Green, Wis., gets into full swing as American Players Theatre opens its Up-the-Hill production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona directed by Tim Ocel. Shakespeare's classic runs through Oct. 6. For ticket reservations, call 608-588-2361 or visit americanplayers.org.

• Soulstice Theatre presents a staged reading of four episodes of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio play with enhanced lighting and sound effects and a local cast directed by Mark Flagg, June 20-22 at Keith Tamsett Studio Theatre, 3770 S. Pennsylvania Ave. For ticket reservations, call 414-481-2800 or visit soulsticetheatre.org.