This Spring Give Thanks For Great Comedy At The Playhouse

Spring and comedy are in the air beginning March 23 when THE THANKSGIVING PLAY, with support from the Rosenthal Family Foundation, opens in the Shelterhouse Theatre. The satirical take on political correctness run amok plays through April 21. Opening night is March 28.

Armed with good intentions and progressive lingo, three liberal theatre artists attempt to devise a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving play for local elementary schools. They realize rather quickly that honoring Indigenous people while simultaneously celebrating the peaceful Thanksgiving feast of American lore is much more difficult than they anticipated. Their well-meaning plans dissolve into an outrageous sendup of politically correct behavior as THE THANKSGIVING PLAY treads the minefields of appropriation to inject laughter into activism, apathy and all the assumptions in between.

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY made its off-Broadway premiere at Playwrights Horizons last October. Playwright Larissa Fasthorse says in an interview with the theatre, "As a Native American person, I'm really fortunate in that I get commissioned to do a lot of plays on Native American history, which tends to be majority-depressing at this point. So, I really wanted to write a comedy, and I really wanted to have fun in the room."

FastHorse is the first Native American playwright to be produced by the Playhouse. Artistic director Blake Robison says of FastHorse: "Larissa is an important and compelling voice in the American theatre. It's an honor to host her in Cincinnati and bring her brilliant play to our audiences."

Lisa Portes returns to the Playhouse to direct THE THANKSGIVING PLAY. She previously directed the 2016 production of Disgraced.

"If you consider yourself truly 'woke,' you might want to see [this] new comedy," stated The Hollywood Reporter in its review of the off-Broadway production. "And if you're not, you'll still want to see The Thanksgiving Play, because it's very, very funny."

Prices for THE THANKSGIVING PLAY start at $35, vary depending on seat location, and are subject to change. Tickets for teens and students are $30. Student tickets are just $15 on the day of the show. Plus, Sunday is College Night, with tickets to all 7 p.m. performances just $10. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Playhouse website at www.cincyplay.com or by calling the Box Office at 513-421-3888 or 800-582-3208 toll-free in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. For TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) access, call 513-345-2248. The Playhouse is fully accessible.