Paul Slade Smith’s political comedy The Outsider has to be one of the slyest, stealthiest creations to come down to pike in recent memory. Now playing in Glen Ellyn’s Playhouse Theatre on the College of DuPage campus, it distills contemporary politics to its essence and makes us smile and laugh in the process.
The story follows the rise of a political wonk who unexpectedly finds himself at the forefront of power. The ramp up in responsibility isn’t the issue. It’s the public glare that accompanies his sudden ascent that threatens to doom him. Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE) presents this unconventional and very timely comedy that has a very important message nestled in its core.
The ensemble’s intrepid and multi-talented Robert Jordan Bailey plays Ned Newley, the lieutenant governor of an unnamed state. Judging from a flag standing in the background, it looks like it could be Colorado. Unassuming and self-effacing; Ned was hand-picked for his job because his personality and professional abilities proved ideal counterbalances to those of the sitting governor. Where the governor offered charisma, Ned brought stolid dependability. What the governor lacked in governmental expertise, Ned more than made up for with his mastery of policy.
Accustomed to working his magic quietly in the background, Ned was completely unprepared for the close media attention and public scrutiny that befell him when scandal drove his predecessor from office. We catch up with the action following a disastrous televised swearing in ceremony that cast in high relief Ned’s ineptitude in front of a camera. His chief of staff, Dave Riley (Joe Bushell) and a political pollster, Paige Caldwell; cannily portrayed by Sara Mountjoy-Pepka, are in the throes of damage assessment. Anxiously pacing the floor of the governor’s stately office, Dave’s simultaneously working to pull a staff together while struggling with the dilemma at hand.
Directed by Kurt Naebig, their performances are big and full of the exaggerated flourishes you’d expect to find in farce. In this context, that approach acts to heighten urgency and accelerate the story’s momentum.
Fully aware of Ned’s deep understanding of government and his policy prowess, Dave harbors genuine admiration for his boss. That respect allows him to justify Ned’s limitations in public performance. It’s Paige’s foresight and pragmatism that makes him see that Ned’s legislative competence won’t stand a chance of revealing itself if his public persona is one of mumbling fear. While they go back and forth feebly charting a game plan, Dave’s staff building efforts are rendering meek results. The only person he’s able to find and hire is Louise Peaks (Laura Leonardo Ownby), a receptionist supplied through a temp agency. Louise has the soul of Norman Lear’s Edith Bunker, sweet as pie and hopelessly oblivious. She readily admits she’s not good at a lot of things. Names, phones, taking messages, discretion. It’s why she’s never held a job for more than a day. But she has an infectious radiance that Ownby sheds with masterful ease and effectiveness.
Things begin to coalesce when a prominent political consultant, Arthur Vance, stumbles onto Ned’s televised debacle on social media. He spots an opportunity to ply his king making skills and shows up to offer his services. With Hugh Callaly in the role, Vance has all the gravitas of a seasoned political operative. Cunning with barely a hint of cynicism, he knows the sound bites and approaches that garner public favor. It’s not long before he’s coaching Ned on how to feint and deflect with the studied ambiguity of a veteran campaigner.
It’s a feasible plan, but it doesn’t quite work. A trial run with a disaffected TV reporter, Rachel Parsons (Kristin Doty) and her taciturn cameraman, A.C. (Zach Kunde), doesn’t result in the desired effect. They make progress, but Ned’s dread of the spotlight and attention starts to appear intractable.
During a lull, when Ned is left alone with the cameraman, it’s his turn to draw someone out. With just the two of them in the room, he gently queries A.C. about his life and his thoughts on politics. Like 80 million other eligible Americans, A.C. doesn’t vote and has no practical understanding of the purpose of government. What he knows are the realities of his own life; including that his brother lost his teaching job because of cutbacks. A.C.’s taken aback that this new governor is interested in him and his concerns. He’s even more surprised that Ned’s making encouraging statements about how conscientious state funding could help his brother find a new teaching position. Their dialog alone is worth the price of admission for it’s overarching clarity and candor regarding government’s place in society.
Ned still has his own political survival to think about and finds an ally and a possible path to redemption in the most unexpected of forms. The process takes us through the common clichés of what we the electorate think we want in the people who represent us. It then very craftily shows how those things have nothing to do with the essential requirements of competent governance. Seeing how the playwright resolves Ned’s predicament is another reason to see this clever and amusing take on our political reality. What could have been a sour diatribe was refashioned into an ode of hope, enlightenment and joy; albeit slightly qualified.
Memorable in its own right, The Outsider’s cast added its own magic to support the truth in Smith’s novel throughline. Some like Bushell in his role as Ned’s Chief of Staff, Ownby as Louise and Bailey in his portrayal of Ned; all became more appealing as the story progressed. Over time, their fundamental decency simply overwhelmed. The rest of the cast also became more interesting and intriguing because you wanted get a better feel for what was fueling their ambitions. That was especially true of Doty in her role as a TV reporter so disgruntled with her job that she was willing to jeopardize her career for a moment of journalistic freedom.
The Outsider
Through October 6, 2024
Buffalo Theatre Ensemble
Playhouse Theatre
425 Fawell Boulevard
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
