The Best Play of 2007 Gets an Encore

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 8, 2008 4:25PM

It is 2004 and we are deep in the heart of the presidential campaign. On this particular evening candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry stand behind podiums, ready to face off in a debate being moderated by the NewsHour's Jim Lehrer. Lehrer is in the midst of his opening statement, about to ask the first question of the evening to Senator Kerry, when Bush makes his move. He stealthly approaches Lehrer, weilding a deadly weapon: a pillow. Will his assassination attempt prove successful? Will Lehrer or Kerry even notice? And where does Albert Camus fit in?

The Strangerer was first mounted by Theater Oobleck in 2007, and proved so successful that most of its run was sold out. Back then we thought it was easily the funniest play we'd seen since Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious at the Neofuturarium. We're thrilled to get another chance to see it, with the original cast no less. Playwright Mickle Maher himself plays Kerry, and he's got the voice and mannerisms dead right. Guy Massey as Bush is befuddled, inarticulate and oddly moving. His repeated attempts to kill Lehrer, and describe the epiphany behind his motivations, will make you see the day-to-day existence of politicians in a whole new way.

The show runs through May 11 at the Chopin Theater. Tickets are $10, more if you've got it or free if you're broke.