Oh My! Media, Mumbles, and Miscommunications

You sit in your chair at home, ready to unwind after a long day with some television. To your surprise, the news reports: “Breaking News! Governor Spotted with Beauty Pageant Runner-up!” Except the Governor is your boss… and you’re Lieutenant Governor, so you just landed the biggest promotion without applying or wanting the job.

The Outsider plays out this scenario as the unpopular Lieutenant Governor of a US state fights to win a special election to keep his promotion to Governor. FST presents The Outsider as the final show in the 2024 Summer Mainstage Series at Gompertz Theatre. Called, “Hilarious and oddly uplifting,” by Let’s Go to the Theatre, the show follows longtime civil servant Ned Newley as he is promoted to Governor and works to win the special gubernatorial election.

Ned Newley doesn’t even want to be governor. He’s terrified of public speaking, and his poll numbers are impressively bad. To his ever-supportive Chief of Staff, Ned seems destined to fail. But his political consultant sees things differently: Ned might be the worst candidate ever to run for office. Unless the public is looking for…the worst candidate ever to run for office. The Outsider is a timely comedy that skewers politics and celebrates democracy.

“The Outsider isn’t about politics,” said director Kate Alexander. “In its rompish and delightful nature, the play asks all of us to examine how we, the people, view politics.  Who do we listen to? Polls? Pundits? Media? In an election year – The Outsider is comic food for thought.”

Ned has worked in government for years and has strong ideas about how to improve infrastructure and policy. However, the world perceives Ned as a bumbling fool who is deeply unprepared to lead. He has a small team to support him that includes pollster Paige Caldwell, Chief of Staff Dave Riley, political consultant Arthur Vance, and temporary executive assistant Louise Peake. Ned’s staff tries to paint him as a simple, real man to increase his likability and chances of maintaining his status as governor.

As Ned’s “simple man” public persona is crafted, The Outsider highlights some hilarious rhetoric principles in American politics. The show plays on the more absurd side of American politics with characters who fall into both puppet master and flouncy figurehead archetypes. When the campaign unravels to some, there are massive opportunities in the eyes of other team members.

“The Outsider is delightful comedy in this age of black-and-white politics,” said Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins. “The show is warm and lovable because it doesn’t deal with the negativities surrounding our political world but focuses on the need for government and what it does. The Outsider mostly deals with the follies of humanity, which makes it a great comedy.”

The Outsider is a fun ride for people with both a cavern of political knowledge and people with no background in politics. The play scrutinizes and pokes fun at the common, yet farcical, practices in politics like media training. Originally titled “A Real Lulu,” The Outsider received the Broadway World Milwaukee Award for Best Play in 2015.

While The Outsider plays into the silly situations in American politics, it is refreshingly nonpartisan and focuses on the social element of politics rather than policy. Like Ned himself, the show prefers to focus on the details of governmental function, not the sensationalized disagreement aspect. The Outsider emphasizes the purpose of government and infrastructure in everyday life as opposed to the exaggerated importance of political decisions that do not relate to average Americans.

Come see The Outsider for a unique perspective about the speeches, media coverage, and campaigning that have become a staple of American politics; stay for the hilarity that ensues throughout Ned Newley’s campaign to remain governor as he is pulled in multiple directions to best cater to his constituents’ needs and consultants’ thirst for success.