"The Outsider": Democracy Has Never Been This Funny
Review of The Outsider at Edmonds Driftwood Players
Written by TeenTix Newsroom Writer JOSEPH HWANG
Edited by Teen Editorial Staff Member CLARA THORSEN
With 67 seasons under its belt, Edmonds Driftwood Players has earned a reputation as a reliable community theater in the Pacific Northwest. Their funny, well-performed production of The Outsider earns its applause.
As I sat down in the cozy seats of the Wade James Theatre, I was greeted by a surprise: a pre-show sponsor message styled as a political ad. That brief comedic gag set the tone perfectly. The Outsider is a show that knows it is a political satire first and a comedy second, and it delivers that understanding from the opening seconds.
The Outsider, written by Paul Slade Smith, follows the political journey of Ned Newley, a man who desperately wants to avoid being governor of his state. He's terrified of public speaking, his poll numbers are catastrophic. His first scene involves him losing a standoff with a fake potted plant, confronting a dinosaur figurine, and helplessly spinning in an office chair because he can't find the button to adjust its height. Keith Dahlgren stars as Ned and embraces the character's earnest, bumbling physicality with a tense energy that never feels forced. Dahlgren consistently uses physical comedy to externalize Ned's internal conflict: every stumble and every panicked look is a reflection of a man at war with the responsibilities placed on him. The silly sound effects he makes may be a little much at times, but the payoff for when those jokes hit makes the stylistic choice feel earned.
However, the real standout is Louise Peakes, played by Gina Wilhelm, the temp-turned-lieutenant governor who steals nearly every scene she’s in. She embodies the show’s central satirical point: in politics, confidence and likability often outweigh competence. With her recurring bit of always introducing herself even to people she knows, which never gets old, and her cheerful admission that she has no idea what she’s doing, Wilhelm brings the phrase “unqualified is the new qualified” to life.
While Mark Sparks brings a swaggering energy to political consultant Arthur Vance with his hands-on-hips confidence and natural campaign-trail charisma, Jack Anderson grounds the show as Dave Riley, the Chief of Staff, who is forced to wrestle with the show's central ethical dilemma: is it wrong to let people believe Ned is less capable than he actually is, if it will keep him in office? Doug Knoop helps resolve this tension as A.C. Peterson, a news anchor whose story inspires Ned’s defining speech. Ned’s interview with Rachel Parsons, played by Joy Ghigleri, becomes essential to the core message of the show. By giving Ned a platform to break out of his shell and deliver an earnest monologue about government, the production uses its simplest set choice, two chairs and a camera light, to strip away all the political theater and leave a man speaking plainly. This is where the play makes its clearest argument, that voters who dismiss government ultimately surrender the collective power that allows society to function.
However, where The Outsider stumbles slightly is in the depth of its political commentary. There are genuine laughs for all ages scattered throughout, including a quip that points out the irony of the Department of the Interior handling outside affairs. But the show's broader political claims, particularly the idea that a budget crisis can be resolved through simple goodwill, feel naive. The play presents government dysfunction as a problem of personality rather than structure, as though the right person in the right chair is all it takes. That framing sidesteps the institutional gridlock and systemic pressures that make real governance so difficult. By staying in the realm of the personal, the show misses a chance to be further provocative.
The Outsider is not a play that will radicalize you or change how you think about the government. With sharp performances and a script that earns its laughs, Edmonds Driftwood Players delivers exactly what a Saturday night at the theater should feel like.
Lead photo: Doug Knoop (A.C. Petersen), Keith Dahlgren (Ned Newley), and Joy Ghigleri (Rachel Parsons) in The Outsider. Photo by Dale Sutton.
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