(:)(:)(:)(:)(:) Five enthusiastic snouts up (see Understanding the Snout-Based Rating System) for The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse on the Capital Stage through July 22nd. It's no small trick to create a play that is edgy, brilliant, thought-provoking (all hallmarks of the Capital Stage canon) and also hilariously funny and fun. By grappling with the question of how to write a play examining Native American issues without any Native American actors, playwright Larissa FastHorse has done it all. The play centers around 4 teachers/actors attempting to "devise" a new more culturally sensitive Thanksgiving play for elementary school children. The two lead characters sound more like an episode of Portlandia than your average play--hilarious caricatures of well-meaning white progressives. At the top of the show, the Yoga Guy/Street performer boyfriend (Cassidy Brown) gives his failed Actress/Elementary school teacher/Director girlfriend (Jennifer Le Blanc) the ultimate sensitive gift: a water bottle crafted from the recycled glass from broken public housing windows. She is so touched. It only gets better from there.
The two other actors, a sexy actress (Gabby Battista) whose heritage we begin to determine from L.A. and a nerdy teacher/would be playwright (Jouni Kirjola) in town, are wonderful too. The teacher/director lady is the lead straight man around whom the other 3 land great jokes.
Director Michael Stevenson (also the Artistic Director of Capital Stage) has done it again with direction that enhances but does not detract from the work--funny funny physicality in this play brings laughs that surely not every production could manage.
Listen, I gotta run and this is only up for another week--see it and tell all your friends!
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