The Strangerer July 30, 2008

One of the books on President Bush's 2006 vacation reading list was Albert Camus' absurdist tale of senseless murder, 'The Stranger'. In hopes that the French philosopher might shed some light on the recent political clime -- or vice versa -- Maher's new play 'The Strangerer' collides several of Camus' works with the first Bush/Kerry presidential debate in 2004. The formalities of the debate are overturned as Bush and Kerry struggle with the question not of if or why an innocent man should be killed (the man in question being moderator Jim Lehrer), but rather what is the proper manner in which to go about killing him. A fascinating and hilarious hybrid, 'The Strangerer' is part political satire, part classical drama, part contemporary debate and a murder mystery with the murderers in plain view.