The Outsider, not to be confused with S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, is a political comedy written by New York playwright Paul Slade Smith. Don’t let the political aspect scare you, though. The show does not mock specific political groups, nor does it inspire pessimism. Anyone can go see this show to have some great laughs, enjoy the top-notch acting and feel a little bit better about the modern world.
Roughly ten years after its Broadway premiere, Davidson is showing The Outsider in the Barber Theater until April 13. While the show does not contain any legible references to contemporary partisan discourse, it arrives on campus at a timely moment when laughter is sometimes needed to withstand politics.
The whole two-hour show takes place inside the Vermont governor’s office—a massive set designed by Chair of Theatre Anita Tripathi. “There was not an inch of unused space,” audience member Will Connley ‘25 stated. “This [the theatre department] is the department of collaboration […] Even the stage managers and crew found a role inside the play,” he added, referencing a scene transition during which the stage manager and crew redecorate the stage in uniforms that establish them as characters in the play.
In the opening scene, audience members see campaign pollster Paige Caldwell, played by Isabella McCormick ‘25, and Chief of Staff Dave Riley, played by Hays Craig ‘28, discussing a bizarre and challenging scenario: Vermont Governor Larry Clarke and his entire staff are navigating a sex scandal in their office. In this moment, they discuss Clarke’s replacement, Lieutenant Governor Ned Newley, who Riley describes as brilliant, though lacking in confidence. As they exit the office, we see Ned Newley, played by Walker Hansen ‘25, enter stealthily in a sequence of physical comedy. He has no reason to sneak in, and he ungracefully trips on a rug before being startled by a painting.
Onlookers also meet the new temporary assistant, Louise Peakes, played by Samantha Smith ‘25. Louise is an outgoing, yet muddled, woman who has never managed to keep a job for longer than a day. Her jumbled energy mixes with Riley’s stress to provide a comedic dynamic that is palpable whenever the two are onstage together.
The story really begins with the arrival of Martha Vance, played by Emma Walsh ‘27. According to Newley, Vance was political advisor to “forty-four of the last forty-five presidents,” and now she is here to turn him into a political star. She thinks that what the country needs is an “outsider” who regular people can relate to, and she believes she has found the perfect candidate in Ned.
In this show, Craig plays the “straight man,” a more composed foil to the over-the-top comedic characters surrounding him. “I did a lot of theatre in high school, and then I was also in a Directing I [theatre class] scene,” Craig said. “I was looking for more acting opportunities here and thought a non-polarizing political comedy would be very interesting.” Though he is an intended chemistry major on the pre-med track, Craig is very interested in the theatre department. “I’m in Acting I right now and I am planning to do more productions in the future.”
Being the department’s fourth and final production of the year, The Outsider was a farewell to the Davidson stage for three of the show’s stars: Smith, Hansen and McCormick. The seniors all agreed that they are happy to be ending their Davidson careers with this performance. “I’m really grateful I get to end with such a high-energy show that’s also very grounded in life and has a lot of levity in it,” Smith said.
Smith and Hansen both plan to pursue a Master of Fine Arts and a career in acting. “I just wanna be involved in theatre in some way. I’ll take any sort of job, administrative or whatever. I have a history degree, so maybe I could even do dramaturgy or archive work,” Hansen stated.
In the fall, McCormick will be teaching English at a school in Spain while applying to law school. While she does not plan to continue any theatre education, she emphasized that she would still like to participate in community-level theatre. “It will always be part of my life,” she said. “I feel incomplete without being in a show.”
Throughout their work for The Outsider, the actors developed fond memories. Smith recounted a story from April Fool’s Day: “We all had to crowd around one of our actors after rehearsal because his friends were hiding in the bushes and were pieing him after rehearsal ended. And so we all huddled around him and he had to run for his life after rehearsal, so that was a lot of fun to witness.”
While these seniors may be departing, they emphasized that the theatre department is always looking for more thespians. “Get on the all-theatre email list and don’t be afraid to pay a visit to the professors and learn about what you can look out for […] There are always lower-stakes opportunities needing actors,” Smith said.
By the show’s end, audience members will have had a well-deserved break from taking politics seriously, as you are reminded of the importance of being earnest, a theme that would make Oscar Wilde cheer from his grave. In these trying times, one of the best things students can do is look to the arts to seek levity and community. If it’s not too late, do yourself a favor and go see The Outsider.
Jamey Davis ‘28 is a theater major from Roanoke, VA and can be reached for comment at [email protected].
